


The Scales of Life

by Goddess47



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Illnesses, M/M, Secret Snarry Swap 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27956777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47/pseuds/Goddess47
Summary: A life-threatening case of Dragon Pox has forced the Healers to place Teddy into stasis. Harry seeks help from Severus in brewing the potion that will hopefully save Teddy.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 28
Kudos: 168
Collections: Secret Snarry Swap20





	The Scales of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to the mods for a fun fest. Huge thanks to **Rosie3745** for her quick and thorough beta work and for wrassling my commas into submission. I had to put a few back in, so any mistakes are mine!
> 
> Prompt: No. 19 from **themightyflynn** : A new case comes up that forces Harry to seek outside potions help. He and Severus are made to work closely together for the first time since the war.

Harry took a deep breath. He was a grown-ass adult, dammit. He could handle this.

He knocked on the door.

Severus Snape opened the door and stood there silently.

Harry's initial impression was that Snape hadn't overtly changed that much, for a man he hadn't seen in almost ten years. But as Harry stared, he realized that the man looked healthier, _younger_ , than he ever had at Hogwarts. Time, and a life after the War, had been good to him.

Harry knew that he had also changed over those ten years. He had grown to a reasonable five foot, eight inches, added some much-needed weight, and grown his unruly hair out. With the removal of the Horcrux from his scar, it had faded to a barely-there line that he had to look for to see. 

Another breath. Damn. "Professor..."

"I am no longer a Professor, Mr. Potter," Snape growled.

Somehow, the familiar, hostile response made the encounter easier.

"My apologies, sir, for being familiar." Harry fell back into formality. "Lord Prince." He bowed slightly. "I am here on behalf of the House of Black to make a request of you."

Snape waited a moment then nodded. "Lord Black. Please come in." He stepped back to allow Harry into the home.

After the war, Snape had moved back to Spinner's End the instant Poppy had allowed him out of the infirmary. Harry had kept a discreet eye on him before realizing that he should seek help from others. From the Goblins, Harry had learned that there was a small but respectable Prince vault. He had connived with Poppy to get Snape to go to the bank and ask if there were any Prince relations he might contact.

Eileen had a sister who had been killed in the war by Death Eaters and his grandparents had died about a year after Eileen's death. The Prince line had always been small, evidently, and now Snape was the last in that line. Snape had legally changed his name to claim what there was of the Prince estate and the Lordship. It wasn't enough to be entitled to a seat on the Wizengamot, but Harry figured that was to Snape's benefit. Being on the Wizengamot was a pain in Harry's arse that he wouldn't wish on anyone.

Which was why Harry was knocking on the door to a manor house in Cambridgeshire, outside of London, instead of the property at Spinners End. This home was more than large enough for a family and had probably been where Eileen had grown up.

"May I offer you tea?" Snape offered. Harry had to work too hard in his head to think of him as _Prince_. 

"If it's not too much trouble," Harry replied. It would give him something to do with his hands, if nothing else.

"Pennie!" Snape called softly. A house-elf dressed in a neat, deep blue tea towel popped into the room. "Tea, please."

A small bow. "Yes, Master Prince." The elf popped away.

"He came with the house," Snape explained. 

"I understand that," Harry replied. "I had several that came with Potter Manor, as well as Kreacher."

"Is he still alive?" Snape asked, a note of amazement in that question.

"Turns out he's really no older than Dobby was," Harry said. "But between Walburga's abuse, being alone in that house with Voldemort's horcrux, and Sirius not bonding with him, he looked years older."

"You've bonded with him, then?" Severus said.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "When I took the Black lordship it was the only reasonable thing to do. He's still an arsehole. Sorry to be blunt but it's true. However, he's loyal to the House of Black and doing much better. He’s cleaned up Grimmauld Place and although no one currently lives there, we use it if we need to stay in London for any length of time."

"That's good to know," Severus nodded.

Pennie came back with a tea set, putting it on the table between them. 

"Don't spoil your dinner by eating all the biscuits," Pennie scolded Snape. "I be making Shepherd's pie tonight. Tis your favorite."

"It is," Snape replied gravely. "Thank you for the reminder."

Pennie popped away.

"If you have only the one elf," Harry said, "he'll mother-hen you to death, if you haven't already figured that out. If you can handle a second house-elf on your magic, it's worth your while, since it will spread the imperative to take care of you between them."

"I've been told that," Snape admitted as he handed Harry a cup of tea with a biscuit on the saucer. "I've given Pennie permission to seek a mate, which seems like the best option for both of us. He finds someone he's compatible with and I don't bring someone into the house who does not get along with both of us."

"Most house-elves are pretty compatible, but letting him find a mate is the best," Harry replied. "There are some female Potter elves looking for mates and I'd be glad to allow him to meet with them."

"I'm not sure I can afford to..." Snape began.

Harry held up a hand. "This is for them," he said firmly. "Transferring a bond to you is for their benefit, and it helps deal with some of the inbreeding that some families force upon them. House-elf magic is intelligent enough to not allow children between too close relations, which in turn reduces the number of house-elves. It also frees up a bond so that I can take in an elf from somewhere else."

"That makes sense," Snape allowed. "Pennie."

The elf appeared. "Would you like anything?"

"Lord Black has an offer for you." Snape nodded toward Harry.

Pennie looked at Harry, faintly worried.

"Pennie. I have a number of house-elves in my House who are looking for mates," Harry said. "You will be welcome to come and meet my elves and if you find someone you are compatible with, I'd be glad to transfer their bond to Master Sn-, um, sorry, Master Prince."

"You would do this for Pennie?" The elf's ears quivered in excitement.

"Come here, so I can give you the proper permission." Harry held out the hand with his Lordship ring.

Pennie laid a finger on the ring. 

"Be it known that Pennie is in an honorable search for a mate and he has my permission to seek his mate among the Potter elves," Harry said. "So mote it be."

A brief flash of light surrounded them.

"Lord Black is very generous." Pennie bowed. "Many thanks for your permission."

"You are very welcome," Harry replied. 

"Do yous need anything else?" Pennie asked, all but jumping in place in excitement. 

"That will be all," Snape replied with a small smile.

The elf popped away.

"That still is incredibly generous of you," Snape said. "What can I do for you?"

"I am here with a serious request," Harry admitted. "My godson, Teddy Lupin, has contracted a variant of Dragon Pox that is resisting the normal treatments. The Healers have been forced to put him into stasis for the moment, to give us time to find a cure."

"How old is he and did he have the vaccine?" Snape asked.

"He turned eleven four months ago, and yes, he had the vaccine as a toddler," Harry replied. "He got his Hogwarts letter on his birthday and is scheduled to go there in the fall. He's been attending the local Muggle school where he was exposed to what turned out to be a Muggle-born who did not know she had magic. The Muggle-born had the Dragon Pox, which her parents treated as a Muggle disease, until it turned nasty. Luckily, the doctor treating her knew enough to call in a healer from St. Mungo's. Teddy was the only other magical child in the class, we've since checked, but the pox mutated enough that the vaccine he had wasn't enough to protect him."

"Is he stable now?" Snape asked.

Harry shrugged. "The Healers say so. But they don't know how long they can keep him in stasis until it starts to affect his magical core. His primary Healer is Taariq Daile, who has done extensive research on our behalf. He has come across reference to a potion that might help, but it has some exotic ingredients and is, of course, difficult to brew. Which led me to you."

"I do not know Healer Daile and am not familiar with his work," Snape said. "Would it be possible to meet with him?"

"Of course!" Harry replied, tamping down the relief that coursed through his body. "Whenever would be convenient for you. It's urgent but not dire at the moment."

"Since that's the case, I do have some things that should not be left today, but I can make time tomorrow," Snape offered.

"Let's say nine o'clock, at St. Mungo's?" Harry suggested. "If that's not convenient for Taariq, then I'll let you know."

"That sounds reasonable," Snape agreed. "I should be home all evening, if you need to get a message to me."

Harry set down his teacup and stood. "I don't know how to thank you for this," Harry said.

Snape held up a hand. "I am only looking at this point," he said. "I have to see what is involved before I can give you an intelligent answer."

"We're pretty desperate already," Harry admitted. "So any assistance is appreciated. Even if you can't do anything directly, if you have any ideas we'll be grateful for that."

Snape nodded. "I understand and will see what I might be able to do," he promised.

"I will see you in the morning," Harry said. 

Snape walked him to the door and Harry held out a hand. "Thank you."

Snape shook his hand. "In the morning, then."

Once outside the property, Harry apparated to St. Mungo's. He made his way to Teddy's private room on the second floor. Since the entire floor was dedicated to magical 'bugs' and many of them were contagious, all but a few patients were placed in private rooms to keep any possible contagion to a minimum.

Andromeda was in the room reading to Teddy. Once the child had been placed in stasis Harry had convinced Andi that she didn't need to be at the hospital twenty-four hours a day. He had one of the house-elves watch over Teddy at night or when Andi needed a break. The house-elves had set up their own schedule taking turns on a schedule only they understood.

Harry had also put up his own strong intent ward around the bed, to ensure that anyone who was not there to help would be rebuffed and Harry would be alerted. 

Andromeda put a finger in the book and looked hopefully up at Harry. 

"I saw Snape, sorry, Prince, and he'll come tomorrow," Harry announced. 

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Andi sighed in relief.

"He can't make any promises until he knows more, but he'll do what he can," Harry reminded her. "There's no guarantee that this will help."

"It's just so frustrating," Andi said. Not that this was new, it was exactly that -- frustrating for all of them.

"Snape... well, I need to get used to calling him Prince—will be here tomorrow at nine," Harry said. "I have to find Taariq and make sure that works for him as well."

"Go ahead," she said. "I'll stay until dinner."

"Get some sleep tonight," Harry said firmly. "Don't let this stir you up too much."

"No, Bessy will make sure I take a relaxation draught," Andi replied. "That helps me sleep so that I can be here for Teddy during the day."

Harry had moved Andi and Teddy into Potter Manor with him and the elves had been delighted to have a small boy to take care of. Losing both Ted and Tonks, and to a lesser extent Remus, in the War had been hard on her. Having to bring up Teddy alone had almost been too much. Having Harry around grounded them both. With the help of the elves, they had become a happier family.

Harry found the Healer in another patient's room. He nodded at the man and moved off to his office to wait. Harry resized the book he routinely carried in an extensible pocket and waited for a break in the Healer’s day. 

"Harry! Good to see you!" After the War, Taariq Daile had come to Britain to seek out Harry. Taariq was a Parselmouth, as well as a Healer, and had been sent by his superiors to see if Harry's ability to talk to snakes had survived Voldemort's death and if he also had Parselmagic. Evidently the two did not always go together. Pleased to find that Harry had both, Taariq had been tasked to see if Harry would come to India for training.

But Harry had other ideas. And other obligations. As Lord Potter and Lord Black, he was the Patriarch for both families and, while the family was small in number, he could not leave them for the two years the proposed training would require. He also needed to continue his work berating the Wizengamot to get them to move into current times. There were too many archaic and discriminatory laws that needed to be changed and he knew it couldn't be done by proxy. He had to be in Britain.

The compromise they finally came to was that Taariq would stay in Britain and work with Harry, along with visiting scholars, and Harry would spend one month a year in India. It would take several years to complete the training, but it made Harry more comfortable with the process. Taariq had applied for a position at St. Mungo's and they had happily taken him on the staff.

"Snape, sorry, Prince will be here tomorrow at nine, if that works for you," Harry said. "He's willing to talk about what you need and see if he's able to assist in treating Teddy."

"Excellent!" Taariq replied. He looked at what Harry knew was an appointment book. "I have one appointment I can easily reschedule to later in the day."

"We can do it later..." Harry started to offer.

Taariq waved a hand. "Not a problem," he said. "I'd rather do this earlier in the day since I suspect your Potions Master will have questions and will want time to study what I've put together."

Harry nodded. "He will," he said. "I won't be here until lunchtime. There's a Wizengamot meeting scheduled for the morning and I should be there. If you find you actually need me, send an elf and I can be here."

"We should be fine," Taariq declared. 

"Thank you!" Harry nodded.

"See you tomorrow!" Taariq replied.

Knowing the Healer was busy, Harry left without further conversation.

Harry was glad that Winky had made him sit down and have some breakfast before he went to the Wizengamot meeting. She had also made him an ever-warm travel mug of tea to take with him. Several members glared at him as he sipped his lemongrass tea during the meeting, although Harry wasn't sure if they were upset at his _lack of decorum_ or that they never thought of it themselves.

Harry thought he'd bring biscuits with him next time. Or maybe popcorn.

"Lord Black," the Chief Warlock interrupted his musings. "A question has arisen about funding for your proposal of separate schools for Muggle-born children. There seems to be a gap between the projected costs and what the Ministry is willing to pay, versus what tuition can be raised from parents."

Harry sighed and glared at the Pure Blood faction that was solidly against the idea. _They'll be fine!_ or _They can figure it out themselves!_ were the phrases he heard most often.

"The so-called proposed costs currently in front of us include construction of new buildings, which are not needed," Harry replied patiently. He folded a paper and levitated it over to the Chief Warlock's desk. "I have a list of properties that are already available for use as schools, many at no cost. That list was in the original proposal and well, must have gotten misplaced as the proposal was reviewed."

He tapped his wand on another paper. "Oh, right, copies for everyone else." Multiple copies flew out to the others present. 

The Chief Warlock frowned as he read over the document. Muttering came from other areas of the Wizengamot.

Harry knew that part of the proposal had been removed as soon as it had been presented to the Chief Warlock. There were factions on all sides who had wanted to get in on the profits that would result in the construction of new buildings. 

"If you will review the list, many of the existing buildings are already owned and managed by the Ministry," Harry went on. "The rest are all on the market as rental spaces, at least as of this morning. Actually, the spaces already owned by the Ministry should be sufficient for the first two years and that will give time for the proposed Board of Governors to review additional spaces. It puts a number of empty buildings back into use and the cost of upkeep, which is built into the budget, is no longer a drain on the Ministry."

Harry wanted to laugh at the frustration oozing from the Chief Warlock. 

Neville Longbottom spoke up. "Given this new information -- " Well, it wasn't new to Neville, who, along with Hermione, had helped Harry find some of the buildings on the list -- "I propose we accept this part of the overall proposal and move forward so that classes can start in the fall. Simply swap out the new building part of the budget and replace it with one of the Ministry buildings on the list. I would like to call the vote."

Knowing there really weren't any other options, the Chief Warlock said, "The vote has been called. The proposal now includes removing the cost of new buildings and use of existing Ministry owned buildings. All in favor light your wands."

Harry lit his wand and resisted looking around to see how the voting actually went.

"Thank you," the Chief Warlock said. "All against the revised proposal, please light your wands."

A moment to count the votes.

"The proposal passes, as amended," the Chief Warlock announced. He looked down at his desk. "Seeing there is no more business on the agenda, today's meeting is ended."

Neville came up to Harry, who was picking up his own papers. "Good work there!"

Harry nodded. He didn't want to have too open a conversation here, since he knew there were too many others listening to what might be discussed. 

"Thanks! It's something that's long been needed," Harry replied. 

"Got time for lunch?" Neville asked. 

Harry shook his head. "I'm off to visit Teddy," he said, not wanting to admit in public that he had called on Sna--, damn, Prince to consult on the case. He was curious to see what Prince had found out. And it wasn't a secret that Teddy was sick in the hospital, so it was easy to use that as a reason for leaving directly.

"If you need anything, do let me know," Neville replied. 

"Maybe your grandmother could talk Andromeda into an afternoon out?" Harry suggested. "There's nothing Andi can do at the moment and, while she's mostly taking care of herself, she could use some time away."

Neville smiled. "Gran would love that!" he said. "I'll have her call."

"Thanks!" Harry said. "I'll be home tonight, if you want to stop by."

"That works!" Neville replied easily. 

Wanting to hurry, Harry held himself back. Taking his time implied all was right in the world, and the last thing he wanted was anyone snooping into what he was doing.

Once at St. Mungo's, Harry went first to Teddy's room.

"I finally met your Lord Prince," Andi announced as Harry came into the room. 

"He's not mine," Harry replied without thinking. Then blushed as he realized what he had said. "You've never met before?" Harry forged on.

"Severus is younger than I am, so that I had graduated from Hogwarts before he started," Andi said. "And, well, with the War, we never had a chance."

"Did he say anything?" Harry asked.

"No, he was with Taariq and they wanted to check on Teddy together," Andi replied. 

"Did Bessy bring lunch yet?" Harry asked. "I'm starved!"

"Evidently wrangling the Wizengamot is hard work!" Andi laughed. "No, but I'll ask her to bring enough for two."

"Make it four, and maybe I can get Severus and Taariq to join us," Harry said.

"Done!" Andi replied.

Harry went off to find the two men as Andi called Bessy. He was about to give up and send a Patronus to find them, when they came out of the lift and were walking to Taariq's office.

"Any updates?" Harry asked.

Both men looked up from the parchment they were studying. 

"It's too early," Severus replied. "I need some time to study this." He looked down at the papers in his hand.

Harry tamped down his disappointment. "I've asked Bessy to bring lunch, if you both would like to join Andi and me," he offered.

"I have another patient," Taariq demurred. "Although if you'd leave me something for later, it would be appreciated." He turned to Severus, "I will see you later!"

"Lord Prince?" Harry asked the other man.

"I would be glad for a break," Severus admitted. 

"Please, join us," Harry invited. "We try to eat in Teddy's room when we can, so we can be around him."

Andi's eyes lit up in hope as they joined her for lunch.

"We don't know anything yet," Harry said gently. "I've asked Lord Prince to join us for lunch."

Andi gathered herself then smiled at Severus. "Please, do join us," she invited. "Bessy always brings more than enough to share."

"I'd be delighted," Severus replied. 

Bessy brought beef barley soup and turkey sandwiches for all, and Harry asked her to leave some lunch for Taariq. They sat themselves about a table, enjoying their lunch.

"So how was your meeting today, Harry?" Andi asked. 

"The Wizengamot finally signed off on the schools," Harry grinned. "Once I pointed out that the Ministry already owned properties that were more than adequate, they had nothing else to argue about." He turned slightly to face Severus. "We've passed a law that will have the Ministry sponsoring primary schools for Muggle-borns."

"If the Ministry has their fingers in that, it won't be terribly educational," Severus frowned.

"Oh, well. See that's the best part!" Harry laughed. "The Ministry has a Child Services department that will help identify Muggle-born students, so the Ministry thinks they're going to be involved with the students of the school. There's to be a Board of Governors that will 'oversee' the schools, faintly similar to the Board at Hogwarts," Harry explained.

"And that was a meddling bunch if I've ever seen one," Severus replied.

"True," Harry agreed. "But the makeup of the Board will include mostly Muggle-born members, and only up to a quarter of the board are to be non-Muggle-born. And only one Ministry representative."

"Ah!" Severus nodded. "So witches and wizards who have some idea of what they missed learning in their early years will be there to help guide new witches and wizards."

"And there will be enough Pure Blood representation to make sure that some of the older magics, such as ritual magic, covens and conclaves, and even worship of Zir and Lady Magic, are at least introduced, so that Muggle-born and Pure Blood learning are brought closer together."

Severus stared. "You're taking over, aren't you? Teach the children right and in a few years no one will know what hit them."

Harry laughed. "Not me alone," he admitted. "But, well, magical Britain needs to be brought to the current era. There are hundreds of ways Muggles could learn about Magic. Plus, their technology has developed enough that we need to be prepared for the students who will be attending school in the coming years."

"It's about time someone stood up for this," Severus replied. 

Harry blushed. "It's not just me," he protested. "I'm working with anyone who will work with me to get this done."

"But without you..." Severus said.

Harry shrugged. "It would happen eventually."

"Maybe, maybe not." Severus shrugged. "As delightful as lunch has been, I have work to do. If you will excuse me..."

"Certainly," Andi said. "Please, feel free to join us any time."

"Thank you," Severus nodded. "I will give you an update on what I find, perhaps tomorrow. If not, definitely the day after."

"Come for lunch again, if you'd like," Andi invited. 

"I will let you know," Severus replied.

"And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Harry added. "Send an owl and I'll get anything you need."

"Good to know," Severus said. "Good day."

After he left, Andi turned to Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry shrugged. "I think he needs some time to look at what Taariq and I have come up with. I'm sure it will work, but we need a Potions Master like Prince to look it over and help us with anything we've missed. But the fact that he's looking into it and hasn't dismissed it out of hand is always a good sign."

"I'll hold on to that, then." Andi nodded.

That evening, Severus sent a message to Harry that he'd like to meet with him and Taariq later the next day, preferably at his home. Harry messaged back that he was available at any time. There was an owl waiting at breakfast that said simply, "7 pm."

Harry made his way to Severus' home that evening and met Taariq at the door.

"Thank you for coming," Harry said. 

"I suspect this will be an interesting discussion," Taariq admitted. 

Pennie opened the door when Harry knocked. "Master Prince is in his laboratory and wishes yous to join him there."

"Thank you, Pennie," Harry replied. 

Pennie left them at the door to the lab, saying, "Master Prince has been here all day. There will be tea ready when yous are done."

Harry stifled a smile. His house-elves managed his life, too. 

"Thank you," Harry replied. "I will look forward to it."

"Thank you for coming," Severus said. "I have questions that I think both of you need to help me with."

"Certainly," Harry replied. Taariq nodded.

"I've brewed a potion similar to what you've proposed," Severus pointed to the cauldron on the bench. "It's not the same, since there are three ingredients that I do not have on hand. Additionally, I have some suggestions to make on what you have outlined."

"We are definitely interested in your suggestions," Taariq answered. "Please, go on."

They spent almost two hours debating about the potion and its involvement in the treatment plan. Harry finally called a halt when he found himself stifling a yawn.

"We need a break," Harry announced. "Pennie has tea waiting for us and I suspect we all could do with some food at this point."

Taariq nodded. When Severus looked reluctant to stop, Harry added, "We can keep talking, just over some food."

"That is reasonable," Severus finally agreed. "Give me a chance to clean up first."

With Harry and Taariq assisting in cleanup, it was only a short while before they left the lab.

Pennie was there immediately.

"Tea, please," Severus asked. 

"Yous finally out of there!" Pennie said, shaking a finger at them. "Next time, you need more breaks!"

Harry laughed when Severus nodded. "My elves scold me like that, too. It's in their nature."

"Too true," Severus replied. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." He pointed to a small hallway. "The washroom is through there. Give me a minute to change and I'll be right back."

Pennie had just finished putting tea and hearty sandwiches on the table when Severus returned. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes, all hungry and in need of a break. Taariq was pouring himself a second cup of tea when his eyes lit up.

"Coatl scales! Of course!" he said. "That's what it needs."

Harry frowned, puzzled.

"I had considered that initially," Severus replied. "But they're impossible to get."

"Harry here is a Parselmouth," Taariq cheerfully threw Harry at the improbable task. "I bet he could get them." He looked meaningfully at Harry. "And it would be good for you to put into practice some of the Parselmagic you've been learning."

"What is it I can get?" Harry asked. "I've not heard of a Coatl before."

"A Coatl is a near-mythical flying snake, revered by a number of sects -- especially necromancers -- for its power over life and death," Taariq explained. "Coatl scales are prized, but rarely available, for potion ingredients and other uses. There are no Coatl in captivity, since they can escape from any type of enclosure and through wards. Seeking out live Coatl is the only option. The largest known grouping is in South America, but there is a smaller group in the Sahara desert a few hours outside of Cairo."

Harry sat back. While he trusted Taariq, the reference to necromancers reminded him that he hadn't yet had the _Master of Death_ discussion with the other man. It wasn't -- quite -- part of the training he was undertaking to learn about Parselmagic and it was a secret he kept close. He also worried that someone would want to take advantage of it, in a wrong way. 

"What sort of difference would it make?" Harry asked. "This doesn't sound simple and I have to know if it will be worth the effort."

Severus nodded. "Reasonable question," he agreed. "There are no guarantees of success, but Coatl scales will drastically improve the viability of the potion. Enough so that if you do have a resource, it will be worth the time to get the scales."

"How long do you think it would take to retrieve the scales?" Harry asked, concerned about leaving Andi and Teddy for too long.

"No more than a week," Taariq replied, perhaps too quickly for Harry's liking. "A partial day's travel to get to Cairo by international portkey, another day over land to get to the area itself. There's no direct travel to the area, unfortunately. Hopefully a day or two at the most to gather the scales and then reverse course for the trip back."

A week was longer than Harry would like to leave Andi alone, but he probably could ask Neville for some help there. He'd have to see if Luna was in town, she might be willing to stay with Andi for a few days. Since it would be for Teddy, Andi would immediately encourage him to go.

"You could go instead," Harry said to Taariq.

"I have patients to see," he demurred. "It takes me days to arrange a single day off. It would take too long to arrange a week off. And your schedule is more flexible than mine. Severus, it would be helpful if you went with him. You could check the scales on site to make sure you have what you need."

Harry was startled for a moment when Severus was included in the travel. Being able to check the scales on site did make a good reason to include him. 

"Why no direct travel to the area?" Severus asked. 

"Largely because it's a protected space, a magical Reserve," Taariq explained. "And there are some magically dead zones in the area. It's just more practical to make the final trek on land."

"Good to know," Harry said, giving thought to what they would need to take with them.

"How soon do we need to leave?" Severus asked. "I have some commissions that I need to finish up in the next three days. I can rearrange anything else so that I could leave after that."

"It will be the full moon in six days," Taariq said. "That will be an auspicious time to gather the scales, if you can. It is not a requirement, but it would make any potion in which the scales are used more potent."

"Today is Thursday, so that makes the full moon on Tuesday," Harry figured in his head. "Allowing for travel, we need to leave on Sunday at the latest." He looked at Severus. "Will that work for you?"

"Sunday lets me finish up my work. I can do that." Severus nodded agreement.

"I'll arrange for the portkey with the Goblins," Harry said. "Theirs will be better than anything we can get from the Ministry."

"I have a contact in Cairo that I will reach out to," Taariq said. "If he cannot meet up with you, he will arrange for someone else to guide you."

"Good to have a local guide, since I've never been to any part of Africa," Harry said. He looked toward Severus. "I already have a magical tent and will provide supplies, since you're doing this for me."

"That will be fine. Anything else we need to do tonight?" Severus asked.

"I don't think so," Harry replied.

Taariq shook his head.

"Then we will take our leave," Harry said. "Good night."

Severus saw them to the door, where Harry and Taariq went their separate ways.

Harry explained their plan to Andi.

"There's no guarantee," Harry said gently. "But this is the best plan we've come up with for Teddy."

"You do what you need to," Andi said firmly as Harry had expected she would. "I'll be fine! And I know you can take care of yourself. Your dueling experience may come in handy."

"Hopefully I won't need to use any of those dueling skills," Harry replied. "I'd like to get in and out of Cairo as quickly and quietly as possible."

Andi laughed. "You just jinxed it!"

"I know Bessy and Winky will be here, and the other elves, but I'd feel better if you'd let me have Neville and maybe Luna check on you," Harry said. "Not only for your sake, but for security. You know there are nutters out there who still try to get at me."

"Only since it will make you feel better," Andi admitted. "And I know you set Augusta on me yesterday!"

Harry laughed. "That's for both of you," he admitted. "Augusta needs to get out more herself."

"Come here," Andi said, opening her arms. "We both need a hug."

Harry was grateful for the warm touch. It helped steady him and let him know that Andi really was doing okay with all of this turmoil.

"We'll be back as quickly as we can," Harry promised. 

"If it helps Teddy, take as long as you need," Andi replied.

Both Neville and Luna were happy to check on Andi while he was away and Harry arranged what he would need to take with them for the trip. He packed a small backpack with food and camping needs -- he still remembered camping out in the Forest of Dean while searching for Horcruxes and he wasn't going to be hungry or uncomfortable if he could prevent it.

He met Severus at Gringotts on Sunday afternoon. The Goblins had been happy to arrange for their portkey, which would drop them in the Cairo branch of the bank. Fortunately, Taariq's contact was available and would meet them at the bank.

"It will be an hour earlier in Cairo," Stonefinger reminded them, handing them the rope portkey. 

"Good thing," Harry admitted. "I'm still shite traveling by portkey."

"Did you think to take an anti-nausea potion?" Severus asked.

"Already done!" Harry nodded. "And a calming draught. It's really mild, but it makes a big difference."

"Good to know," Severus said.

"Taariq promises once I learn more Parselmagic I should be better at this, but it's not been a priority," Harry admitted. 

"Interesting," Severus replied. 

"Ready gentlemen?" Stonefinger asked. "Your portkey goes off in fifteen seconds."

Harry wrapped one end around his hand as Severus did the same with the other end. Their hands rested next to each other.

Harry closed his eyes as the portkey activated. The international distance made the squeezing and whirling sensation seem endless.

Harry found himself sprawled on the marble floor of the bank when he finally opened his eyes. Severus stood above him. 

"Up with you," Severus said, giving Harry a hand to help him stand up. He held on to Harry's arm for a moment. "Are you all right?"

Harry considered for a moment. "Okay, I guess," he admitted. "Thank you."

The Goblin in the arrival room nodded at them. "You have someone waiting for you."

Harry straightened his clothes and they followed the Goblin to meet a swarthy young man.

"Upton Hakimi," the man introduced himself, holding out a hand. "Healer Daile asked me to assist you on your journey."

"Harry Potter," Harry replied, shaking his hand. "Please, call me Harry."

"Severus Prince," Severus said. 

"Good to meet you both!" Upton replied. 

"We appreciate all the help you can give us," Harry said. 

"Come with me," Upton directed. "We should travel part of the way tonight to avoid having to travel in the desert in the middle of the day tomorrow."

"That will be good," Harry replied. 

They followed Upton out to a battered jeep that was parked just outside the bank.

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"How do you get it to work in a magical area like this?" Harry asked.

Upton shrugged. "It's part Muggle, part magic," he admitted. "It's a family heirloom, been in the family for years. Not quite sure how it works, it just does."

"Kind of like the car Arthur Weasley had at one time," Harry mused. "Mostly Muggle, I bet, with just enough enchantments to let it work in magical areas."

"It beats walking, which would take much longer," Upton replied. "And with the magical dead zones around the Preserve, it's even more useful since it will work there also."

"How long will the trip be?" Severus asked.

"It's not good to travel in that area at night. The government has the bandits mostly under control but there are those that prey on night travelers," Upton admitted. "There is also protected wildlife that move around in the dark and we need to avoid them. So we can get in about four hours of travel today before stopping for the night. Then tomorrow we need to get up early to travel before it gets too hot. We can get another four hours in then. We'll stop at an oasis in the middle of the day before heading out in the early evening. Another four or so hours then."

Severus nodded. "Shall we go?"

"Do you have hats? For walking in the sun?" Upton asked.

"Not something I thought of," Harry admitted. Severus also shook his head.

Upton dug into the space behind the rear seat. He handed two scruffy fedoras to Harry. "They are worn but clean and will be good for you to have. They will give you some protection from the sun." He dug around some more. "And bandannas can be used for many things." He handed two colorful but worn oversize bandannas to each of them. 

"Thank you," Severus said. He put the hat on his head, which Harry thought made him look quite debonair. He wasn't quite sure where that thought came from.

After a bit of 'After you' and 'No, after you' they ended up with Harry in the front seat next to Upton and Severus in the back. 

Harry asked Upton about what they were seeing and the young man kept them entertained with stories about Egypt and the local countryside. They stopped about two hours into the journey for a bathroom break and to stretch their legs. Then they continued on until dusk.

Harry didn't see anything special about the area Upton pulled the jeep into.

"This is neutral territory," Upton explained. "It is unclaimed by any tribe and is set aside for travelers. That will allow us to camp here for the night and we are permitted to put up temporary wards."

"Good to know," Harry replied. "I came prepared for exactly that!" He took out his backpack and pulled out a smaller bag. "I brought a tent."

"Ah!" Upton beamed. "I have a small tent, but yours is more likely nicer."

"It's well used, but comfortable," Harry admitted. He laid out the tent on the ground and put in the stakes. Then he put up the poles and the ropes and stood the tent up. "Do you want me to set up the wards?"

"I can do those," Severus offered. "Intent and warning wards sufficient?"

"They should be," Upton nodded. 

"Notice-me-not would be appreciated," Harry admitted. "Just... to be safer."

"Those are acceptable also," Upton agreed.

"Give me a moment, then," Severus said. He paced off several steps away from the tent. "Does your vehicle need warding?" he asked Upton.

Upton shook his head. "It has its own protections that are keyed to me. You do not need to do anything extra."

"Good to know," Severus said. "I will be only a moment."

Harry waited for him to finish, not wanting to leave him alone.

"All set," Severus said as he came toward the tent. 

"Thank you," Harry said. "Come in and get comfortable."

The tent was similar to the one Harry, Ron and Hermione had used in their Horcrux hunt. That specific tent had been lost in the hunt, but Harry had bought another tent that was very similar. It was essentially a three bedroom flat with a sitting room and a kitchen. It would give them plenty of space for the nights they would need to camp.

"This is much nicer than my tent," Upton admitted. 

"It brings back memories," Harry admitted. "Some of them were good."

"What did you use it for?" Upton asked.

Harry told an edited story of their 'adventures' in the Forest of Dean. Harry, Ron and Hermione had together decided right after the war that much of the story about the search for Horcruxes was not something they would share with the public. It made some parts of their lives easier in the aftermath.

Harry knew Severus had learned more than most, but even he had never asked. 

They called it a night relatively early. They needed to be up and moving before dawn, and the next day would be a long traveling day.

Harry had brought provisions for breakfast for all of them, which he shared with Upton and Severus. Harry and Upton packed the tent as Severus took down the wards. 

I was almost five hours later that they stopped for a longer rest period. 

"Sorry," Upton apologized. "I haven't been out this way recently and it was farther than I thought."

"Not a problem!" Harry replied. "But it will feel good to get out of the car for a while."

"I agree," Severus said.

The oasis was a slash of bright green in the beige, sandy countryside. The tall palm trees promised cooler air and a chance to stretch weary muscles.

"Fatima is a distant relative, she runs the oasis," Upton said. "We can get food and drink from her."

Introductions were first-name-only. Harry suspected Fatima was careful to be neutral and what she didn't know about her customers she couldn't be asked about. He could respect that.

Lunch was fruit and a hearty stew of something Harry didn't examine too carefully. It was tasty and filling, which was good enough for him. They got extra drinks to take to their 'room' -- which was a three-sided shelter. The trees helped provide shade and there were couches for sleeping if one wanted.

"Can we place wards?" Harry asked softly.

"It is considered rude, but it can be done," Upton replied.

"Perhaps a personal ward about the bed?" Harry asked.

Upton nodded. "That would be less rude."

"Good," Harry said. He banished the bugs and put up a ward to keep them out. He also put up a personal protection ward that would slow down anyone who tried to physically touch him. He saw Severus do something similar for his own bed. Harry set an alarm, then lay back to sleep for a while.

Upon waking, they found there was enough water to splash on one's face, but only a Scourgify for actually cleaning up. Harry figured they were all in this together and made do with what there was. Another meal was provided, and thanks and payment were given to Fatima as they left to travel the last portion of their trip.

About two hours after they left the oasis, Upton turned onto a rutted side track.

"The road will not be good from here on," he warned them. "Visitors are rare and it helps keep casual travelers away."

"Thanks for the warning," Harry said as the jeep hit a hole. It wasn't the distance that would take time, he realized, it was the road itself. The jeep crawled, bouncing every inch of the way. Large rocks lined both sides of the road and Harry wondered what would happen if there were vehicles going in both directions.

As dusk started to fall they came to a turn off. "We go this way to get closer to the Coatl. We will need to go the very last part on foot."

"That makes sense," Harry agreed. 

After about twenty minutes, Upton pulled into a small niche in the rocks and stopped. "We spend the night here."

Grateful that the vehicle was no longer moving, Harry climbed out of the jeep and stretched. 

"Where's a good place to set up camp?" Harry asked. 

"Anywhere you like," Upton said. "I'll spend the night in the jeep tonight."

"You don't have to do that!" Harry protested. 

"Magical dead zone," Upton said. "Your lovely tent is, well, just a tent."

Harry tried to cast a Lumos and nothing happened.

Severus looked at the jeep and said, "There is no way for three of us to sleep in there."

"It's still a tent," Harry said. "We can share, if you don't mind."

Severus looked at Harry for a moment. "I won't mind. Thank you."

Harry searched for a flat area not too far from the car, moved some loose rocks away, and set up the tent before crawling in. Okay, this was way smaller than he thought it would be. At least the non-magical tent provided a couple of blankets, since it would be cooler at night. He peered out the flap at Severus. "It will be cozy," he warned.

"I have slept rough before," Severus said. Then allowed, "But not in a long time."

"I hope my back is up to this," Harry admitted with a wry grin. "I have some granola bars in my pack. The rest of the food I brought is in the kitchen we can't get to."

"We ate well in the middle of the day," Severus said. "We should be fine."

Harry handed Severus and Upton two granola bars. "Saving the rest for tomorrow," he said. 

"We can get some fruit and water as we walk to the nesting area," Upton says. "And, if we're lucky, we should be on our way back to town by late afternoon tomorrow."

"Let's hope we get lucky, then," Harry said. "Otherwise, we'll have to backtrack so we can get the tent to work."

"That's probably at least an hour back down the road," Upton admitted. 

Harry sighed. Upton could have warned them, but he also didn't ask. They didn't appear in immediate danger of starving to death and they'd manage.

"I'm going to call it a night," Harry said. "We'll probably be up at dawn anyway."

Upton used a shovel from the back of the jeep to dig a small latrine. "It is custom to place human waste where it can be buried."

"Ah! Good to know." Harry nodded. He used the latrine and then crawled into the tent. He assumed Severus did pretty much the same before crawling in next to Harry.

At best, the tent was... cozy for two grown men. But Harry was reluctant to sleep in the open, especially knowing there were no wards or other protections. Severus moved around carefully and settled in next to him. Harry used his backpack as a pillow and he noted that Severus folded up a jacket for his own.

"If I snore, just push me on my side," Harry grinned.

"If you will do the same for me," Severus grinned back.

Somehow, that made it all easier. Harry settled in and closed his eyes.

A ray of sunshine filtered through the tent flap into Harry's eyes but he didn't want to get up. He was warm and comfortable. A small snore came near his ear.

What? Harry was confused for a moment before remembering crawling into a tent with Severus. He pried open his eyes to find himself wrapped in Severus' arms with Severus folded about him. 

Harry didn't want to move. There was something comforting about being held by another person.

Fortunately -- or not -- Upton came by at that point and called, "Time to get moving!"

Harry ignored the small jerk Severus gave and quickly crawled out of the tent. He used the latrine and went back toward the jeep. He handed out another round of granola bars.

"We should be able to fill our water jugs about half an hour in, so feel free to drink up," Upton informed them. 

Harry left some water in the bottom of his jug, reluctant to be totally without for even a short time.

"If you're ready, come this way," Upton said. The track the jeep had been following turned to a trail, wide enough for only one person. Some sections required scrambling over rocks or dropping short distances from ledges. Harry made note of those, since they'd have to come back the same way.

A small oasis with green plants came up on their left.

"Water and a short rest," Upton declared. 

Harry gratefully dropped to the ground, not used to the hard scramble. He noted that Severus joined him on the ground. Upton took pity on them and filled their jugs. "Drink up and then refill your jugs. This is the last water before we get to the nesting grounds."

As they rested, Harry looked up at the clear, blue sky. "Good thing we don't need to do this by the light of the full moon. Hopefully, the day of the full moon should be sufficient."

"It will be," Severus replied. "Which is good, since it doesn't feel safe to approach the nesting grounds in the dark."

The next section was just as hard a scramble. Harry was glad for the hats and bandannas Upton had provided to help deal with the beating sun.

"Okay, quiet now," Upton said softly. "The nesting grounds are just over that rise."

"Let me catch my breath for a moment, then," Harry said firmly. He wiped the sweat off his face with a bandanna and took a sip of water. He closed his eyes and breathed for a moment to ground himself.

He waited for his breathing to become easier and his thoughts to settle. Neither Upton  
nor Severus disturbed him. He opened his eyes. "Okay, I'm ready."

They moved slowly over the rise and Harry noted a flash of red that disappeared as they came in sight of the valley below.

"Both of you stay here," Harry ordered. "In fact, move back a few feet."

"But..." Upton started.

"We will be fine," Severus said firmly, drawing Upton away.

Harry walked carefully into the open glen. It wasn't a full oasis, but there must be water in the rocks since there were grasses and green bushes growing on the side of the hill.

Harry moved to the glen and then sat down with his legs loosely crossed. 

_**I seek the Queen of the Snakes**_ he called in Parseltongue. _**I am not here to hurt you or your kind and seek only what can be freely given.**_

Silence reigned for a full five minutes. Harry relaxed and breathed. He knew it would take time.

A flash of red off to one side. Harry didn't move.

A Coatl appeared in front of him, hovering above the ground.

 _ **It has been many moons since a Speaker has sought us**_ the snake hissed at him.

 _ **I thank you for speaking to me**_ Harry replied.

_**Many seek to capture us** _

_**I have no wish to do so**_ Harry tried to put some intent into that statement. _**I am only here to seek help on behalf of a nestling of my family who suffers**_

A moment of silence as the Coatl considered that statement. It settled on the ground in front of Harry but well outside of reaching distance.

 _ **Would you help a nestling of another family?**_ the Coatl finally asked.

 _ **I can try**_ Harry hedged. _**I am not familiar with your kind but I would try to do my best**_

 _ **Follow me**_ The Coatl rose from the ground and moved toward the rocky hill. 

Harry had to trust the Coatl since he didn't know what he was getting into at the moment. He followed as quickly as he could, the Coatl going ahead and flitting back to him. He went over the hill and he knew he was out of sight of the others. He had to hope they didn't panic.

The Coatl flew into a small cave. The cooler air was a relief and there was a level of humidity that had to come from underground water.

 _ **Speaker -- Approach**_ the Coatl he had been following commanded.

Harry inched his way toward the back of the cave. Another Coatl raised its head and hissed. Harry squinted to see in the relative darkness. This Coatl's scales were so dark red to be almost black, and was almost invisible against the dark background. 

Harry wanted to guess that this Coatl was much older than the first. He wondered how Coatl aged, or if anyone knew.

 _ **I mean no harm**_ Harry said. _**I am here to seek help for a nestling of my own**_

The dark red Coatl considered Harry for a long moment. Harry didn't move. 

_**You are the Master of Death**_ the dark red Coatl said.

Startled, Harry answered without thought. _**I am**_

_**Yet you seek help for a nestling** _

_**I do**_ Harry tried to put a sense of promise into that phrase. _**It is a nestling of my own flock who is ill**_

The Coatl considered that information.

_**What do you seek?** _

_**Freely given scales**_ Harry answered. _**About this many**_ He cupped his hands together to indicate a small cup. The potion needed approximately a dozen scales, but he was being hopeful in asking for more in case they needed to brew the potion more than one time.

The Coatl stared unblinkingly for a moment.

 _ **A nestling needs assistance**_ the Coatl said.

 _ **I cannot promise, but only try**_ Harry admitted. _**I am not skilled in helping your kind**_ Again, Harry projected his intent to do only good.

The Coatl moved to one side to reveal a much smaller, almost pink Coatl behind... him? her? Harry wasn't sure and wasn't sure it really mattered. _**Help this one**_

 _ **May I approach?**_ Harry asked.

 _ **You may**_ the Coatl allowed.

Harry inched forward to peer at the pink Coatl. One wing was clearly deformed, which would limit its ability to fly. 

Harry slowly reached out a hand. _**I need to touch**_ Harry advised the watching adult Coatl.

When the adult did not stop him, Harry scooped up the pink Coatl. It barely filled both hands.

Harry moved toward the cave opening. When the adult bristled, Harry said _**I only seek more light. I will not leave this cave.**_

Harry found a rock to perch on and set the Coatl on his knees. _**I will touch you, gently**_ he cooed at the child. He ran a finger along the healthy wing, then along the deformed wing. It looked like some of the bones had developed wrong, folding the wing in place instead of allowing it to flex properly. In theory, he knew he could use his Parselmagic to fix broken bones in humans, but he had no idea if it would work on a Coatl.

Harry closed his eyes to center himself. He breathed deliberately, in and out, for several minutes.

 _ **There may be a small hurt in what I do but it is to help**_ Harry spoke a warning to both of the Coatl.

When he got no response, Harry forged on. _**Thrafsi**_ he said carefully, focusing on just the bones that were wrongly placed. The pink Coatl keened and the adult bristled but did not otherwise move. _**Kinsi**_ he said, to move the bones to their proper place. _**Epidior**_ to fix the bones. Finally, _**Therapevo**_ to set the healing process in place. 

A presence of _Other_ came to him and flowed through his hands. The pink Coatl suddenly relaxed, as if given a pain relief potion. _You did well..._ an Ancient, thready voice floated through his head.

 _Thank you for your help_ Harry replied in his head. He picked up the Coatl with both hands and placed it back in the nest.

 _ **Your nestling must rest for two suns. It should not go far at first, but fly small distances. It will take a number of suns before they are ready to do more.**_ Harry wasn't quite sure how well that translated. Hopefully, the nestling would not try to fly too far, too soon. 

_**Your work is successful**_ the Elder said. _**We will help you with your search**_ The Elder rose into the air and came close to Harry. _**For you alone**_ Six deep red scales floated down to Harry's hands as the adult went back to their perch. He wrapped them in a bandanna and put it in his pocket.

A red Coatl came into the cave. The first one Harry met, he suspected, but he couldn't be positive. 

_**Come with me**_ the red Coatl directed.

Harry turned to the dark red Coatl. _**May Hecate keep you safe**_

 _ **You may return, Master of Death, as you need**_ the dark red Coatl said. _**You are kin to the Coatl**_

 _ **May your hunting ever be successful**_ Harry bowed to the Coatl.

He followed the Coatl out of the cave and farther away from where Severus was waiting. Severus was going to shout at him when he got back. At the very least.

The Coatl led him to another cave. 

_**You have need of scales. We hide them here. Non-Speakers seek but we do not share**_ the Coatl said.

Harry stepped through what felt like an intent ward and found himself in a cavern larger than the one he had just been in. The air was dry and dusty and the floor was covered with a fortune in Coatl scales.

 _ **Take what is needed**_ the Coatl directed.

Harry bent down and gently scooped up a handful of scales. He put one large handful in each of his trouser pockets and was sorry he had not thought to bring his backpack to be able to take more. Maybe that was good, he thought, he didn't want to seem too greedy. What he had was more than they would need.

 _ **I carry what I need**_ Harry said. 

_**We will go back to your flock**_ the Coatl said. He led Harry back to the glen where they had met.

 _ **May your hunt be successful and your flock increase**_ Harry said aloud.

For a breath of a moment, hundreds of Coatl appeared in the air above Harry. He blinked and they were gone. Harry turned to walk back to Severus and Upton.

"And what foolish thing did you just do?" Severus asked.

"It's like you know me," Harry grinned. "I healed the wing of a nestling. I'm guessing it belonged to a Coatl Elder. And I have more than enough scales for what we need to do." He brought one handful out of his pocket and handed the scales to Severus. "Will that do?"

Severus took a long look at the scales and turned a couple over to check the other side. "This looks like exactly what we need, and more than enough. I will check them over when we get back to the camp."

Upton's eyes were big. "Dr. Daile did not tell me you were a Speaker!" 

Harry realized they must have been able to hear him from where they waited. He wondered how much they saw. "And that is not a tale for you to share," Harry said solemnly. 

Upton got out his wand. "I will keep the secrets of Harry Potter and Severus Prince until they tell me I may share them. So Mote It Be." A golden glow swept over the man.

"Thank you," Harry said. It was much a much broader vow than Harry might have asked for, but it would serve its purpose. 

Upton clapped his hands. "Now we go back!"

The sun was starting to set by the time they got back to the camp. They had stopped to get water and to drink their fill along the way. Upton gathered what fruit there was and brought it along.

"Should we stay here or move on?" Harry asked. He was starting to get hungry but he was also exhausted from the day.

"The road will be worse at night," Upton said with a shrug. "Better to stay."

"Right now, rest is more important than food," Severus decided. "You're falling asleep standing up."

Harry yawned. "I could sleep," he admitted. 

"Go and rest," Severus said. "I'd like to check all of these over while it's still daylight."

Even with the vow, Harry didn't want to say anything in front of Upton about having more scales in his other pocket, so he crawled into the tent. He took a moment to place the other pocketful of scales, as well as the deeper red scales, in the backpack. Then he set it under his head to use again as a pillow. He fell asleep immediately.

A whisper of a breath on the back of Harry's neck woke him. He guessed it was almost dawn, primarily from the demands of his bladder. But Severus had obviously joined him in the tent at some point and again had his arms around Harry.

In the dark, Harry considered that it was too long since he had slept with another person. He knew he and Severus had a very rough beginning, but he found he liked Severus Prince in a way he never liked Severus Snape. He made a mental note to spend more time with Severus once they had, hopefully, resolved Teddy's problems. Maybe they'd be only friends. In the darkness of not-quite-morning, he could hope for more.

Harry really didn't want to disturb Severus but his bladder insisted. Harry lifted the arm wrapped around him and eased himself out of the tent. He used the latrine and sat outside the tent to enjoy the morning sunrise.

Upton came about a little after and Severus didn't need much coaxing to get up so they could get moving. They packed up, scouted their campsite for any debris, and were soon on their way.

Now that he was paying attention, Harry felt them leave the magical dead zone. 

"When there's a good place, stop for a bit so we can get some food from the tent," Harry directed. "I'm starving!"

"Probably not until the main road," Upton was apologetic.

"That's okay, just want you to be aware," Harry replied.

At the junction of the trail and the -- relatively -- main road, Upton pulled over and parked. 

"We should be good here for a short time," he said. "If we eat quickly and then move on, we should get back to the oasis to have lunch and a siesta there."

Severus helped Harry set up the tent and they both worked in the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them. They ate heartily and cleaned up before re-packing the tent. Harry also took a moment to cast a ward spell on the scales still in his possession, especially the dark red ones.

On the main road they made good time back to the oasis. Fatima greeted them and there was more stew and cool beverages for lunch.

There was a group of seven travelers using two adjacent three-sided rest areas and Upton was wary of them. "Do not go off on your own," he softly warned Severus and Harry. "I do not know them or their guide, they could be anyone," he explained. "They know you have been to the Coatl nesting grounds, that is the only place one can travel to and get back the next day."

"Good to know." Harry and Severus nodded. They discreetly set up their wards about their rest area, as well as about the beds. Harry had the backpack with him and carefully set it under his head again as a pillow.

Someone tripping the intent ward about the structure woke Harry. He glanced over and saw that Severus was also awake. He nodded at him.

Waiting to see if anything else happened, Harry made sure he had a good grip on his wand. With a shout, a spell shattered on the ward they had set closer to the building. Harry set a shield around Upton, not knowing the man's skill at defense. "Stay there," Harry ordered.

As Harry was doing that, Severus apparated outside the shelter to one side. Harry apparated to the other. The seven travelers had surrounded the back side of the shelter, so they would not be seen as they approached. Evidently they had not anticipated Severus' 'rude' wards.

Harry cast two stunning spells before anyone realized he was behind them. A third man turned to face him and Harry cast an Expelliarmus to capture his wand. Another stunning spell had the man on the ground with the others.

Harry cast an Incarcerous on the only other person he could see, rope flying about the man to stop him from being able to move. Harry moved quickly and took his wand also.

At that point, Severus came up. "Are you all right?" Severus asked.

"Fine," Harry replied. "They were all a bit slow, I think."

"Probably more opportunistic than truly skilled," Severus said. "I would guess they thought that since they outnumbered us, we would give in easily."

"They obviously don't know who you are, or they would never have even tried to attack you," Upton came out of the shelter. "Even here we hear about Lord Potter's dueling prowess."

The tied up man stared. "You are Lord Harry Potter?" he asked.

"Guilty as charged," Harry admitted. 

"I told those idiots to make sure they knew what they were doing," he replied. 

"Upton, get Fatima and see what we should do with these men," Severus ordered. Upton hurried off to find the owner.

Fatima hurried back to the shelter with Upton. "My apologies, kind sirs. I hope you were not hurt?"

"We're fine," Harry replied.

She looked down at the stunned men and kicked one in the knee. Hard. Harry thought he heard a bone crunch. She swore at him in what Harry assumed was Arabic. 

"Is there anything we need to do?" Severus asked as Fatima was about to kick the man again.

She turned to him and sighed. "No, I will take care of this. I do recommend that you be on your way shortly. You do not want to be involved in this at all."

"She has a good point," Upton added.

"I'll have some food sent with you," Fatima offered. "They can pay your fee for you. For their impudence."

"That would be appreciated," Harry said. 

It didn't take long to pick up their few belongings and Fatima brought out a basket for them to take. With that, they were back on the road.

They took two breaks on the way back to the camping site they had used on the way out. They were traveling close to the warmest part of the day and, after the excitement at the oasis, it felt good to move around and eat some food.

It was still daylight when they reached the campsite. 

"There is no good place to stop between here and town," Upton admitted. "It is better to stop earlier in the day than to try to travel in the darkness."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Harry agreed. 

They set up camp and Harry noticed that Severus put up stronger wards than he had used on the way out. Not that Harry minded. 

They had a good dinner and had time to sit and relax before they went off to bed. Harry tossed and turned for a while in his own room, missing having Severus close to him. It helped him decide that he should make a plan to spend time with Severus once they got back. He fell asleep wondering if a courting protocol might be appropriate.

In the morning, they packed up and made their way back to Cairo. Upton took them to the bank, where they would get their portkey back to London.

"Thank you for your assistance," Harry told Upton. "We could not have done this without you."

"You are welcome," Upton smiled. "Please feel free to come back to Cairo any time. Healer Daile knows how to reach me and I would be happy to help you with whatever you may need in the future."

Harry reached into his pack and brought out two scales. He handed them to Upton. "These are for you, in thanks for your assistance."

"Many thanks and blessings on you," Upton breathed in awe. 

In the bank, Harry was directed to the office that managed international portkeys. It took only a short while for the portkey to take them back to London to be crafted.

"Wait!" Harry said before the portkey could be activated. He reached into his bag and found an anti-nausea potion and a calming draught. He took both quickly and put the vials back into the bag. "You don't want me to go back without taking those!" he grinned.

The goblin handed them another piece of rope and they both wound the ends about one hand. Swirling took them and Harry fought the spinning.

He, again, found himself sprawled on the floor, Severus looking on in amusement.

"You certainly are not good at that," Severus said, extending a hand.

"I told you!" Harry replied. "But it will be good to be home." He looked at a clock. "It's early enough that I can go home, clean up, and Andi will still be at the hospital."

"I will also be going home, but I would like to start working on the potion," Severus said.

"Will it be okay if I come by tomorrow?" Harry asked. "I'll let Taariq know you're starting on the potion and tell him to contact you directly. But, well, I'd like to talk."

"Certainly," Severus nodded. "I'll be interested in what happened with the Coatl." 

"It was interesting," Harry grinned.

Before going off to the hospital, Harry rushed through a meal from his elves and took a quick but thorough shower. He hadn't realized how much sand he had picked up on their trip.

"Harry! You're back!" Andi greeted him with a warm hug as he entered Teddy's room.

"Good to see you, Harry," Luna greeted him. She tilted her head. "How odd. You have _petalouda_ flying about you. They're beautiful. I've never seen that before."

"Good to know," Harry replied, as mystified as ever. He hugged Andi again and then Luna, glad to be home. "Any change?"

Andi shook her head. "No, but that's good at this point. Was your trip successful?"

"Yes," Harry said. "We collected the Coatl scales we needed and Severus is starting work on the potion."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Andi sighed, tears in her eyes. 

"Don't count on anything until we get a chance to test it," Harry warned gently. "And I need to let Taariq know we have what we need so he can talk to Severus."

"He was here earlier in the day," Andi said. 

"I'll check with his office," Harry said. "He's most likely with a patient."

When Harry went to the Healer's office, he found that it was the Healer's afternoon off and he wouldn't be back until the next day, unless an emergency came up.

"Please let him know I'm back in town and I will be here in the morning to talk about what we found." At that point, a message would be more than sufficient. 

Back in the room, Harry invited Luna, "Come back for dinner with us. We'd love your company."

Luna blushed prettily. "Neville has already invited me out to dinner tonight," she admitted. "Some other time?"

"You're welcome any time," Harry promised. "Andi and I would be pleased to have you. And Neville, too."

Over dinner, Harry gave Andi a simplified account of their trip. She wasn't aware that he was the Master of Death and he wanted to keep it that way. Also, whatever happened with the young Coatl was largely inexplicable, so he wasn't going to include that in his story. He did talk about the attack at the oasis, since she was aware of his dueling skills and that encounter had turned out well. She was a good audience for his stories. Harry was amused to see her wanting to both praise and scold him for taking risks.

Taariq was waiting for them when they came to the hospital the next morning. 

"Damn your timing," Taariq said, frustrated. "I take one afternoon off and you come back! And I have an over-full schedule all day today and into the evening."

"Severus is working on the potion already," Harry replied with a small laugh. "If he has any news, he would let me know. And you know it requires a week of brewing time, so another day won't make a difference."

"I'll clear out some time tomorrow so you can tell me all about it!" Taariq promised.

"I have nothing specific planned, so any time you have will work for me," Harry replied. 

"Good!" He turned to Andi. "There are no changes in Teddy's condition, which is still good at this point. If you'll excuse me, I need to be with a patient." 

"Now that we've checked in, I have some business to take care of," Harry told Andi. "I'll be back by dinner, but call me if you need anything."

Harry left the hospital and went to Gringotts to check in with his account manager. He went to his vault and left all but one of the dark red scales as well the other handful of regular scales there. He felt better about putting them into the high security vault.

It was too early to go back to the hospital, so he decided to visit Severus. 

"Master Prince is in the potions room," Pennie announced. 

"Can he be disturbed?" Harry asked. "If not, I can come back at a better time."

"Let me ask!" Pennie said. He popped away and came back a moment later. "Master Prince asks that you wait. He should be out shortly."

"Not a problem," Harry replied. "I hear congratulations are in order."

It was always fascinating to see an Elf blush. "Thank you Master Black! Kimber has accepted my offer of a courtship and we will see if we are compatible."

"Kimber is a good Elf," Harry said. "I hope you will be happy together."

Pennie smiled. "I think we will be. Would you like some tea?"

"Certainly," Harry nodded. "And I suspect Severus will want some."

"I makes sure he eats," Pennie nodded. "But you coming makes him take a break."

"Good to know," Harry replied.

"Be comfortable," Pennie said. "I be back shortly."

Harry went into the sitting room they had used when he first came to see Severus. He took a seat and it wasn't long before Pennie came back with tea and biscuits.

"Master Prince be washing up," Pennie said.

"Thank you," Harry said. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a biscuit. 

"Good time to stop by," Severus said, coming into the room. 

"Taariq is busy all day today, into the evening," Harry said. "He can stop by tomorrow, if that works for you."

Severus poured himself a cup of tea. He was obviously using the time to consider. "Probably dinner time tomorrow would be best. There are some ingredient preparations that I need to do in the morning before some fussy steps in the afternoon. But then there's no major work for another two days."

"If we come after dinner, that gives you a chance to take a break," Harry said.

"Come for dinner then," Severus suggested. "I'll be done mid-afternoon and can take a break before dinner. Also, Pennie would love to have someone else to cook for."

Harry laughed. "I understand, and that should work. Even if Taariq cannot come until later, I would be glad to come for dinner."

"Your company is appreciated," Severus said.

At home, Harry found that Andi had been invited to dinner at the Longbottoms the next day, so that made it easier for him to be at Severus'.

Taariq was busy through the day and would be at Severus' after dinner.

Harry spent the next day working on a variety of initiatives for the Wizengamot. It was exhausting, having to play the politics that were needed to make any substantive changes that impinged on Pure Blood sensitivities.

He refused to think too hard about the significance of having dinner alone with Severus. 

Harry handed Pennie a bottle of wine as he entered Severus' home. "I don't know what you're serving, but hope this might go with dinner. If not, just put it aside for another time."

"Braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, beets," Pennie said. "Red wine will go nice with it."

"Comfort food," Harry grinned.

"Master needs calories," Pennie confided. "Make sure he eats."

"I will," Harry promised.

Severus joined them. "Conspiring with my elf?"

"Nah, he's just taking care of you," Harry grinned. 

"I'm looking forward to having another," Severus admitted. "I think."

"I can promise you, two will be better," Harry agreed. He thought back to Dobby and briefly missed his friend.

"Would you like a drink before dinner?" Severus asked. "Is Taariq coming?"

"No, he had appointments all day, but he'll definitely be here after dinner for an update," Harry said.

"Not a problem," Severus replied. "Drink?"

"A small one," Harry agreed. "I brought wine to go with dinner. Pennie's letting it breathe."

"Thank you for that," Severus nodded and led Harry to the den. He poured them both a drink. "Muggle bourbon," he said as he handed Harry a glass. "I save it for special occasions."

"Hopefully we'll have something bigger to celebrate soon," Harry said, touching his glass to Severus'.

"Here's to hope," Severus agreed.

Dinner was excellent and Severus coaxed Harry into sharing some of his Wizengamot plans. 

Taariq came as they were finishing and Pennie quickly had another setting on the table.

"Thank you!" Taariq said. "I was starved but didn't want to get here too late." He dished himself a plate. "So where are we?"

"The potion looks good at this point," Severus said. "It needs to sit for two days, so there's nothing I can do at the moment."

"Do the scales look good?"

"They are excellent, and Harry was able to get more than enough for what we need," Severus said. 

"That's good to know," Taariq said. He turned to Harry. "Tell me all about your trip."

"First of all, Upton was a great help," Harry said. "We could not have done this without him."

"Good to know!" Taariq nodded.

Harry quickly outlined the travel, knowing Taariq was more interested in their interaction with the Coatl.

"You should know they hide their fallen scales," Harry said. "There weren't any lying around that I could see, and I was taken to a cave with wards where the scales were stored."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Taariq said. "Coatl scales are worth their weight in mithril."

"Anyone who is not a Speaker won't get anything from them," Harry said. "And I know it helped to ask and not demand."

"True," Taariq agreed. 

Harry hesitated but went on. "And, well, I traded a favor with them for the scales." He explained about fixing the wing of the pink Coatl, leaving out the voice that seemed to take the youngster's pain. "Being able to help them first let the Coatl help me back."

"Interesting," Taariq said. He looked hard at Harry for a minute. "Something else happened, didn't it?"

Harry debated how much to reveal. He took another drink of his wine as he considered. He decided he'd have to broach this with Taariq eventually and an intimate setting like this was probably for the best.

"Please, do not be offended, but I need a Vow that you will not tell anyone what I'm about to tell you," he said. 

"Certainly," Severus quickly agreed.

"Is it important?" Taariq said. 

"I probably would have got around to telling you at some point, but, yes, it is important," Harry admitted.

Both men made a vow to not tell anyone Harry's story unless he gave them permission.

Harry sighed.

Harry held out a hand and _pulled_. A bundle appeared in his hand. He put it on the table and opened it.

"The Cloak of Invisibility." He twirled the cloak around himself to demonstrate, then took it off.

"That explains a lot," Severus muttered.

Harry had to grin.

"The Elder Wand," Harry laid the wand next to the folded cloak.

"The Resurrection Stone," Harry put the stone on top of the cloak.

Taariq stared.

"Master of Death," Harry semi-bowed from his seated position. "At your service."

"Harry!" Severus said in dismay.

"I know!" Harry replied. "It's... I don't know what it is." He shrugged in frustration.

Taariq put a hand out toward the Hallows then withdrew it.

"The Wand and the Stone won't work for anyone but me anymore," Harry explained. "The Wand is... tired and refuses to work for anyone else. I think I will be its last master. I tried the Stone once and it was a horrid experience all around. I got the impression that it would prefer to not do that again, and I agree."

"And the cloak?" Taariq asked.

"Works fine, as you just saw," Harry said. "It's not as... sentient as the other two Hallows. They're almost sapient and, well, I think they don't want to be."

"Amazing!" Taariq breathed.

"What does that mean for you?" Severus asked quietly.

"Not totally sure," Harry admitted. "There have been a couple of incidents that I can't explain why they happened and I have to consider that my status as the Master of Death helped me. The Coatl recognized me as the Master of Death and I couldn't deny it."

Taariq drummer his fingers on the table. "This makes a mess of your training, you know."

Harry shrugged. "I can't care," he said. He pointed a finger at Taariq. "And you can't tell anyone, which is why I had you make that Vow. I'm not going to be the subject of anyone's study on this. It's not anyone's business but my own."

"But..."

"No buts," Harry said firmly. "If something turns dangerous that may be one thing, but otherwise you have to ignore this. And don't nag or I'll stop working on my Parselmagic completely."

Taariq sighed. "I'm not happy about it but I do understand."

Harry closed the bundle up and _pushed_ it back into storage. He really wasn't sure where it went, but it was similar to a dimensional bracelet he had. He just knew it worked and that no one else could get to the Hallows.

"Is that why the Coatl asked you to heal their youngster?" Severus asked.

"I'm assuming so," Harry nodded.

"What else can you share?" Taariq asked.

"That's it, really," Harry replied. "I suspect that's enough."

"It certainly is," Severus agreed. 

"Back to the potion." Harry needed to re-direct the conversation. "I know it won't be ready for a few more days, but what do you think?"

Severus shrugged. "It is looking good at this point, is the best I can say," he replied. "There's another critical point in three days and that's when I will have a more definite answer."

"If all goes well, do you think we should try the first batch?" Harry asked.

"We'll have to take a look at it," Taariq decided. "In theory, it shouldn't do any harm, but I don't want to take any chances either."

"Is there any way to test it?" Harry asked.

"Not really," Taariq replied. "That's the problem. Either it works or it doesn't, but Teddy's situation is unique and there's no way to test the potion."

"Could it..." Harry swallowed. "Could he die from it?"

"Unlikely," Severus said. "I've looked at what I have again and I think the worse case scenario is that it doesn't cure his illness and he has to go back into stasis. That's not a good answer, but it is what I can tell you for now."

"Thank you for being honest." Harry nodded.

"With that, I think I need to call it a night," Taariq said, standing up. "I have early appointments tomorrow." He looked at Harry. "And we have a lesson this Sunday."

"I'll be there," Harry agreed.

"I'll walk you to the Floo," Severus offered.

"Come to the den; Pennie can bring coffee," Severus said to Harry.

"Sure," Harry agreed. 

When they were comfortable and Pennie had left them, Severus said. "What didn't you tell Taariq?"

"How did you know?" Harry asked, amused.

"You've always kept your own counsel and for good reason. But I think this is one time you should tell someone."

Harry considered. It was true that he kept a lot to himself and, maybe, for once, it would be nice to share the burden.

He reached into an inside pocket and brought out the deep red scale. "The elder gave me six scales of her own. I've put the other five in my security vault in Gringotts."

Severus stared for a moment. He obviously gathered himself before speaking. "And?"

Harry laughed. "It's like you know me."

"I'd like to get to know you better, but that's a conversation for another day."

"Yes. It is." A sigh. "Okay, when I healed the young Coatl, there was a... presence that came and, well, it was _old_ in a way I can't describe. It only said 'You did well' but it seemed to take the pain of the young Coatl. I also have another handful of scales like I've given to you and an invitation to come back."

"Only you." Severus gave a small snort.

"Hey! I can't help it if weird things happen around me," Harry protested.

"Your mother was the same, you know," Severus replied. "It wasn't good or bad but it was often _strange_."

"At some point, I'd love to hear stories about her," Harry said. 

"It's been an intense day today and I need some sleep. I have nothing pressing tomorrow. Come for dinner, just the two of us."

"I'd really like that!"

Severus walked Harry to the Floo and said, "I look forward to tomorrow."

Harry smiled.

Harry slept better that night but still missed having someone near. In the bright light of morning he tried to not think about that too much.

There were no changes when he went to the hospital, which was always good news. He let Andi know he would be out for dinner again.

"With Severus?" she asked with a small smile.

Harry found himself blushing. "Yes, with Severus," he admitted. 

She came over and hugged him. "It's been good to see you getting out," she said softly.

Andi gave the best mum-hugs. It was something Harry treasured as he hugged her back. "Thanks." He took a breath. "I think."

Andi laughed. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Harry sent Kimber to check with Pennie about what was for dinner so he'd know what kind of wine to bring. It would also give the two elves a chance to visit. He dithered over what to wear for a bit and ended up with jeans, a button down shirt and a cashmere jumper over it all. 

"Seafood," Kimber came back and reported. "A white wine?"

"One of the Elf wines, I think," Harry decided. 

Kimber nodded. "That be very nice," she agreed.

Harry Floo'd to Severus' home. "I've been told this should go well with dinner." He handed the bottle over to Severus. He was relieved to see Severus similarly dressed in nice but casual Muggle clothes. 

"Pennie," Severus called. He handed the bottle to the elf.

"Nice wine," Pennie agreed before he popped away.

"Come and take a look at the potion," Severus offered. 

"I don't want to disturb anything," Harry demurred.

"No, it's all under stasis right now." Severus waved away his concern. "Nothing has to be done until tomorrow."

"Then I'd love to see more of your lab," Harry agreed. 

While he had been in the lab before, it was night time and they had focused on the potion. This was his first chance to tour the entire lab and in the daylight. The potions lab was on the far end of the Manor, with a wing of its own. The lab was light and airy in a way the potions lab in the dungeons of Hogwarts never was. Harry had learned enough about potions after Hogwarts to know that light and dust and other environmental factors could ruin a potion, or even turn it into something dangerous. But this space was arranged to allow for daylight without admitting direct sunlight.

"This is a wonderful space," Harry said, turning in place to take in the entire room. There were several cabinets for storage and multiple sinks for cleaning up. "What do you do without students to scour cauldrons?" Harry teased.

"Pennie helps when he can," Severus admitted. "I don't take on more work than I can handle. I've done some consultation with Minerva for Hogwarts, and I take the occasional private commission. Other than that, I spend time experimenting and writing up articles for the Potions journals."

"Did you ever think of writing a book?" Harry asked. "You had a lot of good ideas in the Borage book I used while I was at Hogwarts. There were quite a number of brilliant improvements in potions. You made even me look competent."

Severus gave a startled laugh. "I had forgotten that book," he admitted.

"I do want to apologize for letting it burn in the Room of Requirement," Harry said. 

Severus waved a hand. "No need. Many of the notations I made are now part of newer textbooks. The Borage book was adequate but not the best, unfortunately. I think someone on the Board of Governors was involved with that book and made money selling it to students for years."

"Then I don't feel quite so bad," Harry grinned. "But there were some brilliant things in there."

"I have other notes for most of the spells," Severus said. "So little was lost."

"Well, I do have to thank you for helping me look like I knew what I was doing," Harry laughed. "Slughorn was impressed, anyway."

"Horace would be impressed with you breathing," Severus replied. 

"Too true!" 

Pennie popped in. "Dinner is ready."

Dinner conversation focused on books they had each read. It turned out that they had enjoyed some of the same books, but were able to recommend others for future reading.

"When do you have another break in making the potion?" Harry asked. "If you have one, I love going to the movies but no one else really does. I'm hoping you'd like to go with me."

"I haven't been to a movie in years," Severus admitted. "That would be nice." He tilted his head in consideration. "The next two days are pretty busy, but the last forty-eight hours of the potion are to let it set. Since today is Saturday, that means I'm free on Tuesday and Wednesday. The potion should be ready on Thursday."

"You're feeling confident?" Harry was amazed. "Or at least confident enough to try it?"

Severus nodded. "It's looking good and, if that trend continues, I'm comfortable enough that even if it doesn't work, it won't do any harm."

"That's great news!"

Pennie served coffee and afters in the den.

Harry took a small breath and softly asked, "Tell me something about my mother?"

Severus took a sip of his coffee and then put the cup on a side table. He talked about how they had met in the woods between their homes. At first Severus didn't realize Lily had magic, but when she recounted a story where she had obviously performed some accidental magic, Severus knew he could explain it to her. 

He went on with various anecdotes about his time with Lily, which Harry knew was colored by time -- and regret – but he soaked up every bit of it.

When Severus finally ran down, Harry could only say, "Thank you." He finished his now-cold coffee and stood. "You have things to do and I have a lesson with Taariq tomorrow. If you're still interested in a movie, I can see what is playing day after next. Is there a better time for you?"

"Yes! A movie sounds interesting," Severus nodded, rising. "I should be free all day, so pick a time that works for you. Send a note when you have details and I'll confirm that."

At the Floo, Harry stood for a moment. "Thank you, I had a great evening. Good luck with the potion and I'll plan to see you Tuesday."

"Good night," Severus said softly as Harry stepped into the Floo.

Harry got up early to prepare for his Parsel lesson with Taariq. He hadn't meditated as often as he should have over the past week and needed an extended session to settle into the right frame of mind.

Winky had made him a protein-heavy breakfast, knowing Harry was going off for his _snake lessons_. The first time, Harry had come back ravenous from a lesson that had lasted only a couple hours. The longer the lessons got, the harder Harry had to work, which meant a significant drain on his body. He knew there would be another hearty meal ready when he returned in the late afternoon.

He wasn't surprised that Daffyd Jones, the High Warlock of the _Dal Farwolaeth_ conclave was waiting with Taariq. Daffyd was overt in his interest in Harry taking over the conclave at some point in the future, since it was the largest conclave for Parselmouths in Europe. There was a similar size group in Asia, and smaller groups in other parts of the world. Daffyd had somehow called 'first dibs' on Harry among the other groups. Harry didn't want to think about how that worked since he had made no promises to any one group.

Daffyd was definitely interested in his visit to the Coatl breeding ground.

Taariq, thank Merlin, held Daffyd off while they went through some grounding exercises by sending Daffyd off to another area of the house while they worked. "I told you not to come this early. Go sit in the sun room and have tea. I'll call you when we're ready."

They hadn't had a session in two weeks and it always went better if they started with the basics. Some of it was Harry's ambivalence about his Parselmagic. Now that Taariq knew Harry was the Master of Death, there would probably be a discussion about that. 

"You up to talking to Daffyd?" Taariq asked Harry when the lesson was over.

"Some lunch would be good," Harry admitted. "Winky stuffed me this morning and I know she has plans for dinner, but I'm starved."

"That's good for you to admit that," Taariq replied. He called his house-elf and arranged for lunch in the sunroom.

Harry settled in and took a sandwich. "Mmmm... good roast beef," he said. "Your house-elf does a good job with this."

"Good to know," Taariq replied.

Daffyd leaned forward. "Are you ready now?"

"I guess," Harry replied. "What do you want to know?"

Daffyd threw up his hands. "Everything! What was it like? How did the Coatl act? Did you get any extra scales? What happened?"

Harry sighed and took a sip of his lemonade. He outlined the same story he had told Taariq, with more emphasis on the wards around the cavern.

Daffyd looked disappointed. "I will admit that the Coatl have learned from Wizarding depredations. Not leaving scales about is actually quite smart of them, and putting up some protection will keep most people out."

"I suspect it will keep out anyone they don't want to let in," Harry nodded. "I asked politely, was ready to take 'no' for an answer, and got lucky in helping a nestling. That went a long way to earning their cooperation."

"Could you go back?" Daffyd asked.

Harry knew better than to hesitate. "Most likely," he admitted. "But I also won't abuse that. So don't think you can ask me to travel there on any kind of regular basis. I need a reason for the scales but then you're putting me in the position of deciding what's critical and what's not. That's not fair to me and I won't stand for that."

Daffyd sat back, nonplussed. "You have a point," he admitted. Reluctantly. "I'll have to discuss that with the inner circle to see what ideas they have on managing requests."

"I can appreciate that," Harry said. "Come up with a plan and send me the details. I'll respond to that and let you know what I think I can do."

Harry knew he'd have to fend off multiple requests for scales. Better to let the conclave do the dirty work than to take the 'blame' for requests that he might otherwise deny.

"Anything else?" Harry asked.

Daffyd shook his head. "Not today. Thank you for your information and your insights. It's more than we've had in a long time."

Harry nodded. "You're welcome." He stood and turned to Taariq. "Severus thinks the potion will be ready on Thursday. I know he'll contact you directly when he's closer to the end."

"Good to know," Taariq replied. "I'll check my schedule when I'm in the office tomorrow and make sure I have some free time in the... afternoon?"

Harry nodded. "I think the afternoon is a good plan, but talk to Severus. I know he has some major work to do on the potion tomorrow, but he should be able to get back to you by Tuesday."

Taariq nodded. "Good to know, and thank you for your help with this."

"It's my godson, I have a vested interest in this," Harry reminded them.

Daffyd looked startled for a moment, then nodded. 

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Harry asked Taariq. 

"I think Teddy is on early rounds," Taariq looked thoughtful. "I may not see you. But you or Andi can reach out if you need anything."

"We will," Harry nodded. 

There was a Wizengamot meeting the next morning that Harry attended with his ever-warm mug of tea. There weren't any proposals he was sponsoring for this session, but he had some concerns about a proposal sponsored by the Ministry. On the surface it sounded like an effort to clean up Dark objects found in the wake of a criminal investigation. However the parameters were pretty vague and Harry could see where it might be used against almost anyone, including himself. He protested vigorously, pointing out that anyone sitting in the Wizengamot could be affected. Support for the proposal quickly collapsed, to the obvious frustration of the proposer.

"Make it tighter," Harry told the man. "Only after a conviction for a... certain type of offense. Otherwise anything like that won't be going anywhere." _Not while I have anything to do with it_ was left unsaid.

"I will take your advice back to my colleagues," the man said through gritted teeth.

"See that you do," Harry said firmly.

Harry found himself with a rare free afternoon on his hands. He knew Severus was busy with the potion and he did not want to disturb him. Andi was at the hospital with Teddy and would be home for dinner but not a minute before that.

There were, admittedly, a number of things he _should_ do, but nothing he was _required_ to do. It was slightly unnerving. After the past two weeks of non-stop effort it felt odd to have a chance to do nothing. Harry changed out of the robes he wore to the Wizengamot and found some sweats he kept hidden in a bottom drawer. Andi would frown when he wore them since they weren't 'proper Wizarding clothes' but she wouldn't really say anything. He considered getting her some sweats of her own for her birthday.

Harry foraged in the kitchen for a sandwich and some tea -- it had taken ages for the elves to let him do that much -- and took that to the library. He settled in a cozy chair and opened a book he hadn't had a chance to look at recently. He soon fell back into the story.

Winky popped in and said, "Close to dinner, Master Harry. Missy Andi be home from hospital soon."

Harry blinked a couple of times and did a quick Tempus. "Right. Thank you, Winky," he replied and yawned. "Would you bring me some tea? I don't need anything else, but some tea would be welcome." He remembered his offer of a movie to Severus. "And would you get a London paper?"

"Certainly!" She popped away and was back quickly. "Stout tea so you be awake for dinner." She popped away again and came back with two different London papers. "Was not sure what you wanted, so got two."

Harry grinned. "Perfect."

Harry was looking through the papers and just finishing his tea when Andi came in. "Look at you, lying about and drinking tea this time of day!" she teased.

"Well, I am the lord of the manor, so I get to do that occasionally." Harry grinned.

"You don't get to do it often enough," Andi said. 

"Well, then you'll be pleased that I didn't let the Wizengamot do anything this morning and then I came home and did nothing productive all afternoon!"

"Good for you!" Andi smiled. 

"You need to take some time for yourself, too, you know," Harry said gently.

"I'm being an optimist that your Severus will be able to help Teddy and that I'll be home all the time," she replied. "It's only a few more days and then I'll have all the time in the world."

"He's not _my Severus_ ," Harry protested.

"Oh? Is he not?" Andi asked with an arched eyebrow.

Harry found himself blushing. _Maybe I wish he were..._ Aloud he said, "I think it's a tad presumptuous. We're working together to help Teddy, is all."

"And you were there for dinner on Saturday..." Andi teased.

Harry wasn't about to tell her about their movie date for tomorrow... Wait. _Date?_ Was it really a date? Did Severus think of it that way? Oh... what?

Andi laughed. "You should see your face!" 

Harry thumped his head against the back of the chair. Busted. And he just realized it himself. 

"Dinner is ready," Winky announced. 

"Coming." Harry got up quickly to escape the conversation.

There was still no change to report on Teddy's condition, but Harry let Andi go on about what she did while at the hospital during the day. Most of it was reading to Teddy, but Luna had stopped by and had joined her at lunch.

After dinner, as Andi was about to go to her room, Harry stopped her. "Umm... I don't want to be... I don't know... but, well, until Severus and I have a chance to talk and work out whatever this is, would you be... discreet?"

Andi smiled. "While I can and will tease you, I won't say anything about it to anyone. Especially Severus. Until you say it's all right."

Harry gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

"Now go and moon over your man, like any human being!" Andi laughed as she went into her room.

Harry just groaned.

At breakfast, Harry sent an owl off to Severus.

_Come to my place about 1 pm? We can go out from there._

The owl came back with a _That will work_ scrawled at the bottom.

Severus came through the Floo promptly at 1 pm. 

"Welcome. How are you?" Harry asked.

"I am fine, thank you," Severus replied.

"Everything going well?"

Severus nodded. "The potion is looking good. It now needs to sit for 48 hours and we should be able to test it on Thursday afternoon."

"That is good news," Harry smiled. "And I suspect you are ready for a break."

"I am. Thank you for suggesting an outing. I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Then I have a suggestion," Harry replied. "I found a movie house that shows old movies, like from the 1950's. They advertise that they have 'old fashioned' candy and 'real' popcorn. Want to try it out?"

"Since I have not been to a movie in years, I'm open to almost anything."

"Then let's try it!" 

They Floo'd to the Leaky and went out into the London street. The theatre was several blocks away, but since they had plenty of time before the movie started, they decided to walk.

The movie turned out to be _Singing in the Rain._ Harry had seen bits of it over the years but had never seen the entire movie.

Severus was quiet for a moment. "My mum liked this movie. We never had a telly, but she would go to a friend's house when it was on."

"We can see something else," Harry offered. 

"No... I think I would like to see this," Severus said firmly.

Harry bought the tickets and they went inside. The sweets display had a number of things that Harry had never heard of. 

"I'm just going to have popcorn," he said. "Would you like anything?"

"I can get it..." Severus said.

"Don't be silly," Harry said "My treat today."

"Only if you will let me treat next time," Severus replied.

 _Next time!_ Harry swallowed. It gave him hope that Severus was looking forward to another date. "I will do that!"

"Some of the root beer barrels, and... a package of jelly babies," Severus said.

The man behind the counter asked, "Anything to drink?"

"Just water for me," Harry said.

"That would be fine," Severus said.

It being the middle of the day, there were only a handful of other patrons. Harry and Severus settled into seats near the middle. Harry offered his popcorn to Severus and Severus offered his sweets back to Harry.

"At least there weren't lemon drops!" Harry laughed.

"There was an incredible number of lemon drops stored in the Headmaster's suite," Severus admitted.

"No!" Harry laughed. "Albus probably inherited them from the previous Headmaster and was trying to get rid of them!"

"That is my suspicion." Severus nodded.

Harry was glad to have chosen a 'safe' movie. He had looked at the other options and could not figure out what some of them were about. Coming to an older film made the excursion more enjoyable.

"That was such fun!" Harry said as they left the theatre.

"It was," Severus nodded. "Although I do wonder if Don and Kathy ever realized that Cosmo was in love with both of them."

Harry tilted his head in thought. "What an interesting idea," he said, running some of the scenes of the movie through his head with that in mind. "They would be an interesting threesome, wouldn't they?"

"Indeed, they would," Severus agreed. 

"Would you like some dinner?" Harry asked. "Since we're in London, I know where we can get some excellent curry."

"A day for things I have not done in a while," Severus admitted. "Curry is another thing I have not had in some time."

"Okay, it's on the other side of town," Harry said. "Let's find an apparation point. It's easiest to get there that way. Unless you're feeling really adventurous and are up to the Tube?"

"Apparition will be fine," Severus said. "It's the end of the Muggle work day and the Tube will be crowded."

"True," Harry agreed. They walked a bit before seeing the rune for an approved apparition point. Harry offered a hand out to Severus. "I'll take you, since I know where we're going?"

Severus put a warm hand in Harry's. Harry drew them closer together and then turned on his heel...

They appeared inside another apparition point. 

"Just down the block," Harry said, pointing off to the left. 

At the restaurant they sat at a table for two and Harry asked, "Do you like spicy food?"

Severus nodded. "As long as it's not extreme, I do enjoy spices."

"Okay, I'll order a couple of dishes and we can sample some different things."

"That is acceptable."

Harry ordered a vindaloo with lamb, which he knew would be very spicy. He also ordered chicken tikka masala and asked for it to be milder. A side of rice would help deal with some of the spiciness.

They rehashed the movie over dinner, going off into other movies they had seen or seen parts of and might want to see again.

"I'll keep an eye on what is showing and we can see about going again," Harry said as they walked back to the apparition point.

"I would enjoy that," Severus agreed. 

"I do have an additional residence in a purely Muggle area," Harry went on. "Because there's only occasional magic, electronic devices work perfectly there. I know there are a number of movies that have been recorded and I should be able to get them. If that is an acceptable option."

"That would be interesting," Severus replied. "I haven't spent a lot of time in purely Muggle areas, and it's easy to forget about some of the advances Muggles have made."

"It's something I'm working on inside the Wizengamot," Harry said. "Especially in Britain, Wizards have become incredibly insular and there's no appreciation for what Muggles have discovered or developed. Most Muggle science is considered blasphemy by Wizards, which is getting to be a more and more dangerous attitude."

"I will admit that I have not kept up with Muggle science," Severus said.

"Ah! Don't get me started tonight!" Harry laughed. "That's a discussion for another day. But I'd love to go to the Science Museum with you some time. There is enough there to scare any intelligent Wizard."

"There's your problem," Severus grinned. "You're assuming a level of intelligence that most Wizards don't seem to have."

"Don't I know it!" Harry agreed.

"The potion needs to sit for most of the day tomorrow," Severus said. "I will meet you at St. Mungo's about 4 pm?"

"I'll let Taariq know," Harry agreed. He wanted to step closer to Severus. To... 

"Until then, thank you for a very nice day. See you tomorrow." Severus took a long look at Harry before he turned on his heel and apparated. To go home, Harry assumed.

Harry went to his own home, looking forward to the next day. He tamped down the too-many emotions... He was worried that the potion wouldn't work and they'd have to start all over again. He was elated that they had something concrete that would have a chance of working. He feared that something unforeseen might go wrong and harm Teddy. 

He had to hope that, at worst, nothing bad would happen and to hold on to that thought.

Harry took that hope to bed. The look Severus had given him kept him warm. 

When he got up, Harry sent an owl to Taariq that Severus would be by about 4 pm to test the potion. That should give Taariq time to rearrange his schedule if needed.

Winky made breakfast and hovered to make sure Harry and Andi ate well. After that, they went off to St. Mungo's. Even if Severus couldn't administer the potion until the afternoon, they planned to spend the day with Teddy.

They had been there for an hour when Taariq came in. "Good! Yes, this afternoon works well in my schedule. I'll be busy right up until then, but I'll definitely be here at 4 pm."

"Good to know," Harry nodded. "We'll be here all day and I'll make sure we wait for you."

"That will be appreciated," Taariq said. "See you later!"

Harry and Andi took turns reading to Teddy, taking breaks to talk about the book. Bessy brought them lunch -- tomato soup and chicken salad sandwiches. There were chocolate chip biscuits and a thermos of tea left after lunch. Harry took a walk up and down the hospital corridor at one point, mostly to stretch his legs. 

Severus came in just after half three. "I hope I'm not too early," he said.

"Not at all," Harry reassured him. "We're actually on your timetable, so whatever time works for you, we can work with that. That said, Taariq should be here closer to four, if we can wait for him." Harry gave a wry grin. "Another few minutes shouldn't make a big difference."

"That gives me a chance to re-examine young Teddy," Severus said. "I had notes on his body-weight, but this gives me a chance to double-check that information."

"Is that important?" Andi asked.

"The amount of the potion to be administered is relative to body weight," Severus said. "There's a certain amount of leeway, but as an example, Harry would need more potion than you would. Teddy, being a child, needs a lesser amount."

"Ah!" Andi nodded.

Taariq came in as Harry was about to go look for him.

"It is time?" Taariq asked.

"Yes. Now, you do need to be aware that there probably will not be an immediate reaction," Severus warned them. "In fact, no reaction at all this evening will be a good sign. Based on how long Teddy was affected before he was put into stasis and how long he has been in stasis, I will estimate that it will be another twenty-four hours before we see any changes."

Andi gasped. "I didn't realize!"

"The potion needs time to metabolize throughout his system," Taariq nodded. "How comfortable are you with the twenty-four hour estimate?"

"Fairly confident," Severus said. "Although there may be some variance."

"So we hope for some change tomorrow afternoon," Harry said. "The house-elves will watch tonight as they usually do, and we will plan to be back tomorrow as usual."

"I'd like to stay!" Andi protested.

"I promise you, if nothing happens immediately, nothing is going to happen before mid-afternoon tomorrow," Severus said solemnly. "There is no need for you to be uncomfortable by staying overnight. And if you have your elves watching, in addition to the notifications we will be placing on Teddy they can notify us immediately. It's perfectly safe to go home this evening and get a good night's rest."

"You know Bessy will have the best elves watching tonight," Harry assured Andi. "We have to trust that Severus and Taariq know what they are doing."

Andi sighed. "All right," she reluctantly agreed. "But I'm going to have Bessy place an extra elf on watch tonight."

"We can do that," Harry promised. He turned to Severus. "Are we ready?"

Severus nodded. "Taariq, if you would remove Teddy from stasis?"

Taariq stepped up to the bed and drew his wand. He chanted for a moment and there was a flash of aqua light around Teddy. Teddy sighed but remained sleeping. Taariq cast a diagnostic spell and a quill and parchment captured the information. He let the quill finish before stepping back.

"There are no changes from when we placed Teddy in stasis," he reported. "Severus, he's all yours. Do you need help administering the potion?"

"I can do it," Severus assured him. He stepped up to the bed and brought a medium sized vial out of his pocket. The potion inside was a deep purple and moved sluggishly in the vial. It looked very thick and close to solid.

Severus placed the vial on Teddy's chest and brought out his wand. He cast a charm that moved the potion from the vial to Teddy's stomach. 

"It's done," he announced. "We should watch for about an hour and if nothing happens in that time, that is a good sign."

"I have another patient to see," Taariq said. "I assume you are all staying for that hour?"

"We are!" Andi announced. 

"I'll come back at that point," he said. "Call if you need me."

"We will," Harry promised.

Andi turned to Severus. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for your work," she said. "Whatever happens, I know you've gone out of your way to help us. Thank you."

"Hopefully we will have a positive response tomorrow and that will be a more appropriate time for thanks," Severus said. "While I am not family, I am interested in the results of my work and hope we are successful."

"While we wait, would you like some tea?" Andi asked.

"Yes, I would," Severus replied. 

Bessy was called and tea and biscuits were quickly arranged. 

Andi asked, "I understand your house-elf is courting one of the Potter elves."

"He is," Severus nodded. "Pennie came with the Prince Manor house and, as Harry noted, he needs more than just me to take care of. There's more than enough work to do around the Manor, that's not the problem."

"Hopefully, his suit for Kimber is successful," Harry added. "It feels like a good match to my magic and I'd like both of them to be happy."

"That's excellent news," Andi said.

"Severus, if you need more help around the Manor, I'd be glad to send a couple of elves in your direction," Harry offered. 

"I will keep that in mind," Severus replied. "There are a handful of projects I have put off around the Manor. There's nothing serious but some of it is routine maintenance."

"Don't hesitate to let me know," Harry said. "I've had work done around my place and most of it is excellent."

"Except for Pammer," Andi laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, Merlin! That elf!"

Severus waited.

Harry huffed. "Think of it as... Luna Lovegood as a house-elf! Pammer is as loyal as the day is long, but if a squirrel goes by, she's off chasing it, because -- I kid you not -- _it might be lonely_. But she's excellent in the gardens and has got some extremely delicate plants to grow."

"What Harry's not telling you is that he's turned over an entire greenhouse to her and we're not quite sure what's growing in there," Andi added. "Neville went in with her once and came out quite impressed. Although he also doesn't want to go back in there again."

Severus gave a small snort of laughter. 

Taariq came back and asked, "Anything?"

Severus shook his head. "Nothing."

Taariq performed another health diagnostic. "No change, which is excellent news at this point. You can leave any time and come back tomorrow."

Andi looked torn.

Harry said, "Stay into the evening. Come home to sleep at some point -- and I'll make sure Bessy makes you do that. It's hopefully only the one night, so you can stay."

"I can do that..." Andi grinned. "I have to hope it will be close to the last night."

Taariq put up a hand. "If the potion works as we hope, we will be keeping Teddy for two or three more days. Just so you don't think he will wake up and be ready to go right home. There are longer term consequences of the stasis that we need to deal with."

"Oh! I didn't think of that!"

"It's mostly a precaution," Taariq assured her. "But we need to be careful and not move ahead too quickly."

"Yes, better safe than sorry." She nodded.

"And I will say my own good night," Taariq said. "I will see you tomorrow."

Harry turned to Severus. "I know Bessy has something prepared, since she'll be bringing Andi a meal. Come back to the house for a bit before you go home?"

"If you're sure?" Severus said.

"It's not a problem at all," Harry said. "That way I can introduce you to Bessy and you and she can see if any of the others can help you with your projects."

"Then I accept," Severus said.

"The hospital appreciates if I use the Floo, like everyone else," Harry said with a small grin. "While I can get through the Wards, it annoys them no end!"

It wasn't long before they were in the kitchen of Potter Manor and both Bessy and Winky were fussing over them. 

"Winky, something to eat and... tea? Coffee?" Harry asked Severus.

"Tea at this point," Severus replied. "Coffee will keep me awake and I've had a long week."

"Tea for both of us," Harry finished. "Bessy, as you know, Lord Prince's elf Pennie is courting Kimber. But Lord Prince has some work around his Manor that we may be able to help him with. It doesn't have to be immediately, next week is fine since we'll know more about Teddy by then."

"Bessy and the Potter elves be glad to help Lord Prince." She nodded enthusiastically. 

Severus held out his hand and Bessy touched his Lord's ring. A white light flashed over her. "Now I know your magic if you call."

"Thank you both," Severus said.

"Need to keep elves busy," Bessy nodded. "It is good for them!"

"I will see what I can do, then." Severus nodded.

"It doesn't have to be big projects," Harry said. "Sometimes, just keeping up the routine maintenance or patching socks is good enough. They'll use magic for a lot of it, but they have it to burn."

Severus frowned. "I do have some socks that need mending..." 

Harry stared until he saw the small glimmer of a smile. "Ha! Very funny!"

Winky brought in hot roast beef sandwiches and a hearty vegetable soup. 

"I love these sandwiches," Harry said, putting two on his plate. 

Severus took one and a small ladle of the soup. "I do need to sleep. If I eat too much now I won't sleep properly."

"Eat what you want." Harry nodded. 

They finished up their meal, sitting long enough to finish the pot of tea.

"More?" Harry offered. 

Severus shook his head. "No, thank you. This was excellent. Just what I needed."

"Any time," Harry said.

Severus stifled a yawn. "And I will say good-night," he said, standing up. "I've promised myself a long sleep tonight to make up for the past week. Since I now have the luxury to take the time to recover from an extended work period, I make the effort to take it."

"That's a good attitude," Harry admitted. 

"It took me too long to come to that," Severus replied. "I had some help getting there."

"Ah! Yes, I've also been through some serious mind-healing," Harry replied. "I was... not doing well after the war and I was lucky enough to get the help I needed."

"You have done well. I have to admit, I was... unsure of what I was getting involved with when you first approached me. But you have turned into an adult your parents would be proud of."

Harry was stunned. "Thank you."

"Now I must say good night." 

Harry walked Severus to the Floo. "See you tomorrow."

Severus nodded and stepped into the Floo.

Knowing the elves would manage Andi, Harry went off to bed himself. 

Harry had a meeting with Neville the next morning, to plan their next Wizengamot campaign. They had learned -- the hard way -- to space out their proposals and, even more importantly, to lay some groundwork for major changes they wanted to make. Their next project involved the right for a witch to seek a divorce from a wizard. While it was currently technically possible, it was highly improbable, since the law was currently on the side of the Wizard. Harry knew he'd have to get Andi and Augusta involved in the groundwork and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but he and Neville would get it started. And, he understood how unfair it was that the witches could not do this on their own behalf. Fixing a couple hundred years of Wizarding misogyny and elitism was hard work and would take time. The best they could do is get it started.

Winky assured Harry that Andi had come home to sleep at a reasonable hour, but had also left early. He couldn't fault her eagerness.

It was after lunch before he went back to St. Mungo's. He stopped at a bakery that he knew Andi liked and brought croissants and jam for an early tea. 

Severus joined them about three. He performed an examination on Teddy.

"The timing is an estimate more than an exactitude," he said. "It is unlikely, but Teddy could have started to waken already. Odds are it may be late tonight or even tomorrow morning. Do not be worried if nothing happens this afternoon. He has good vitals and he's very stable."

"Good to know," Harry nodded. 

Taariq stopped by just before four and performed a similar examination on Teddy.

"Looking good," he agreed. "I'm going to say he should wake any time in the next twenty-four hours, but most likely this evening."

"We'll have dinner brought in," Andi offered. "Would you like to join us?"

"I'd love a hot meal," Taariq admitted. "Been run off my feet all day and a chance for a break and a meal would be appreciated."

"Come by about six, then," Andi said. "Hopefully you'll have a break about then."

"I'll make a break," Taariq promised. 

Andi called Bessy and they discussed options for dinner. They settled on a lamb stew and fresh rolls. It would be easier to bring into the hospital and everyone could help themselves.

Severus settled in a chair and brought out a notebook. "Go on with whatever you've been doing," he directed. "I need to update my notes."

"Will you be submitting this for publication?" Harry asked.

Severus shrugged. "The entire thing is certainly publication worthy. My concern is the use of the Coatl scales and the fact that they will be difficult, if not impossible, to get. On the other hand, the circumstances that cause the initial problem may happen again and preserving the information in case of those circumstances will be important."

"That is true," Harry nodded, thinking that Coatl scales would be essentially impossible to get at this point. At least from the group outside Cairo.

"My thoughts were to write it up and get Taariq to add all of the medical information, keeping Teddy's identity out of it, of course," Severus replied. "That way there would be an accurate record of what happened and what was done to address the illness. I would leave it to Taariq to decide what information he shares with his medical colleagues."

Harry strongly suspected Taariq would share the information with at least the inner circle of the conclave, since they would have a chance of getting the Coatl scales and would also be interested in the entire story. 

"I'd appreciate a copy of the final paper, for the Potter and Black family records," Harry said.

"Certainly," Severus agreed. 

Teddy had not stirred by the time Bessy brought dinner. Taariq stopped by and he and Severus discussed what options they might take to leave a record of what they had done without having to reveal all the information. 

Bessy was cleaning up when Teddy's breathing changed. Andi was at the side of the bed in an instant.

"Let him be for the moment," Taariq cautioned. "And be prepared to compose yourself. As far as Teddy knows, he fell asleep and doesn't know how much time has passed. We won't even begin to discuss that with him for a couple of days. Just be cheerful and as normal as possible."

Andi drew in a deep breath. 

Teddy's eyes fluttered and he looked at Andi. "Nana?" It was more of a whisper, a breath of air.

"Hey, Teddy Bear," Andi said gently. "How are you feeling?"

Teddy frowned for a moment, then wriggled in place. "Tired."

"That's okay," she soothed. "You've been pretty sick but it looks like you'll be getting better soon."

Teddy groped around for a moment. "Where's Mr. Buns?" he complained. Teddy was a little old for stuffed toys but they knew he would appreciate the comfort of it.

Andi reached off to the side and brought out a well-loved stuffed rabbit. "You were sleeping so hard that I had to keep him company," she said, tucking the rabbit under his arm. "He missed you so much."

"'kay..." Teddy wrapped his arms around the rabbit, turned on his side and fell back asleep.

Taariq performed another medical scan. "This is very good. Teddy looks good and I'm only seeing a small fracture of his core which should heal in a few weeks. He'll tire easily for a few days, but if he looks good tomorrow you should be able to take him home the next day."

Andi sagged in relief. 

"I'll want to check on him every other day for another week," Taariq said. "If I can't make it to the house, can you do the scan for me and send me the results, Severus?"

"That will be no problem," Severus said. "I know you have a full schedule. I can do the scan and send it to you each morning. If there are any problems, you can let us know to bring Teddy back here."

"That would be simpler and much appreciated," Taariq nodded.

"Will he sleep all night?" Andi asked.

"It will be closer to a normal sleep tonight," Taariq replied. "If there's anything untoward, the monitoring charms will let me know."

"The house-elves will keep watch also," Harry added. 

"I will come by tomorrow to do a medical scan for my records," Severus said. "Since everything is looking good, I will call it a night and let you spend time with Teddy."

Andi came over to him and took Severus' hand. "I don't know how to thank you for saving my grandson!"

Severus lightly squeezed her hand. "It was a group effort, but you are welcome."

Severus left and Harry and Andi stood over Teddy's bed.

"I'm not leaving tonight," Andi declared.

"I suspected as much," Harry allowed. "Yes, stay and watch. The elves can watch you both."

"Thank you for saving my grandson," Andi hugged Harry.

"Like Severus said, it was a group effort," Harry said softly. "But I'm glad it worked."

Andi transfigured a wooden chair into a cushioned reclining chair, so she would have some place to sleep. Bessy would make sure she was comfortable.

Harry went home to sleep, relieved at the thought that he wasn't needed. 

He did go back to the hospital after breakfast, just in time to see Severus perform his diagnostic. Teddy was only half-awake but was able to pay attention.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy bounced in place.

"I need you to remain still for two more minutes," Severus said patiently to Teddy, putting a hand on his arm.

"Sorry," Teddy said, relaxing on the bed.

Severus waved his wand and a quill took notes for him. He cast a different charm and peered closely at the results. He dismissed the display and said, "Now I am done."

"Thank you, Uncle Sev," Teddy said. Harry saw Severus' startled face. Teddy held up his arms to Harry. "I need a hug."

"I need one, too!" Harry agreed, holding Teddy close. "I missed you, Bear!"

"I didn't know I was missing!" Teddy grinned, then he yawned. 

"I think you're supposed to sleep a lot today," Harry said gently. "Healer Taariq wants to keep you one more day but you should be able to go home tomorrow."

"That's good," he said through another yawn.

"Take a nap and I'll be here when you wake up," Harry promised.

"'kay..." Teddy lay down and quickly fell asleep.

"He'll do that for a few days," Severus said. "Fall asleep quickly. You'll have to keep a close eye on him so that he doesn't fall asleep somewhere dangerous."

"Once he gets home, between Andi and the elves, he won't have a moment alone." Harry grinned. 

"Good to know," Severus said. "I will see you both tomorrow."

"Come at lunchtime, if that works for you," Harry said. "I... we'd like to spend some time with you."

"Are you sure?" Severus asked.

"Yes." Harry said it firmly.

"I will then," Severus nodded. "Thank you."

Harry and Andi took turns watching over Teddy during the day. As Severus had warned him, Teddy would fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. Harry was glad he had passed the warning on to Andi when it happened during lunch.

In the evening, Taariq performed his own set of diagnostics and assured them that everything was as expected and that Teddy could go home in the morning.

"Severus will be checking on him at lunchtime, so that works out well," Harry said. 

Andi was almost giddy as they went home the next morning. The elves had outdone themselves, setting up Teddy's room to be cheerful and have all his favorite toys at hand. The elves had added a table that they could use for meals as they kept an eye on Teddy for the next few days.

Teddy was sleeping when Severus came by. 

"That will not be a problem," he said. "I can perform the diagnostics whether he is awake or not." He cast the charms and the quill took the notes. "I'll remember to send a copy to Taariq," Severus said.

"The elves will keep an eye on him," Harry said. "I think I promised some lunch."

"I think you did," Severus nodded.

Lunch was fun, Harry thought. They talked about a wide range of topics and Harry found he was well, sad wasn't quite the right word, but bereft when Severus left.

That pattern followed for the week. Teddy would get incrementally better every day. Severus would come just before lunchtime and perform the diagnostic charms. They would then adjourn to lunch for a continued discussion.

Twelve days later, Severus performed the diagnostic charms and declared, "I think this is the last one I need. There have been no changes over the past three days and Teddy seems to be as normal as he will ever be."

"Hey!" Teddy protested. Then frowned. "I am, too, normal."

"Yes, you are, young man," Severus said. He brought out a small package and handed it to Teddy. "Which means you are entitled to this."

"Thank you, Uncle Sev!" Teddy exclaimed. "It's not my birthday or anything!" He unwrapped the package to find a magically illustrated copy of Treasure Island. He riffled through the book. "Pirates! Look, Uncle Harry!"

"I see." Harry nodded with a grin.

"Thank you, Uncle Sev," Teddy said again. He threw himself at Severus and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Severus awkwardly patted Teddy on the back.

"It is the day you can be declared healthy again," Severus replied. "That is worth celebrating."

"It certainly is!" Harry agreed. "Teddy, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Teddy shook his head. "No, thank you. You'll eat funny grown-up food. I'd rather have my own lunch here."

"It is not funny," Harry protested, half-heartedly. "Just foods that adults like."

"And some of it is funny," Severus gave a small grin. "We will have a meal with food you like in a few days."

"That would be fun!" Teddy bounced on his bed. "Come back soon!"

"Let's go out," Harry suggested. "You've been busy and I've been in meetings. We're due for an afternoon off."

"I'd like that," Severus agreed.

They settled on an Italian restaurant near the movie theatre and finished in time to be able to see a movie. 

Afterwards, Harry said, "I hope you realize that lunch with Teddy is the equivalent of pizza and chicken nuggets?"

"I will survive," Severus grinned. 

"I'll have Winky make an adult version of that," Harry promised. "We had been working our way through some of the foods he'll encounter at Hogwarts. It took me a couple of years after Hogwarts to widen my own palate."

"I suspect I had similar problems," Severus admitted. "Hogwarts food is largely targeted at what adolescents will eat. My mum only made what my da liked, and that was... well, limited barely describes it."

"Well, if you're ever feeling adventurous, let me know and we can try something new together," Harry offered.

Harry saw Severus hesitate, take a small breath and then decide to forge on. "Perhaps you'd like to come over to my place on Saturday? I think Pennie and Kimber have determined they will be mating and it would be an appropriate time for you to give your blessing."

"Oh! Excellent news!" Harry smiled. "Saturday is perfect."

"I will see you then."

Pennie was waiting for Harry when he came through the Floo on Saturday.

"Pennie is glad to see Master Harry!" 

"I hear congratulations are in order," Harry smiled.

Pennie's head bobbed. "Yes, indeed! We are happy and look forward to helping Master Severus."

Severus came in. "Come, we can do this in the garden since it's a good evening."

Pennie and Kimber held hands as Harry approached them. 

"Kimber, be it known to all that you have been a good elf for the House of Potter. While we will miss you, we want you to be happy within the House of Prince. With this, I release you from your bond with the House of Potter and turn it over to the House of Prince."

Severus stepped forward and held out his hand with the Prince signet. Kimber placed a finger on the ring.

"Kimber, you are known to be a good elf and I welcome you to the House of Prince. I hope you will find happiness in your service to the House."

A white light flowed over them and Kimber started to cry. She flung herself at Severus, wrapping her arms about his knees. "Kimber is so happy! Thank you, Master Severus for your welcome to the House of Prince."

Harry grinned. Severus awkwardly patted Kimber's shoulder.

Pennie bounced in place. "Dinner be ready," he announced. "Our gift to both of you for being such good Masters."

"Thank you," Severus said. 

After a decadent dinner they went to Severus' study. He took a box from the desk and sat next to Harry on a small couch. He turned to face Harry.

"In a small way, we have joined the House of Potter with the House of Prince with your generous gift of allowing one of your house-elves to mate with my house-elf. Over the past few weeks, I have come to know the man you have become and see your joy in your family and your dedication to the work you do." He opened the box and Harry held his breath when he saw the contents. "I would like to offer you a courting bracelet from the House of Prince. From my heart."

Harry leaned in for a soft kiss. "From my heart, I accept your courting bracelet and share my heart with you."

Harry held out his arm so Severus could place the bracelet on his wrist. He looked forward to spending more time with Severus and seeing what their future together might hold.

**Author's Note:**

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